BLEED FOR HER

by Hilliard, RB

  “Hey, sweetheart. Long time no talk. What Steele means—and the rest of us stand by—is that bad shit is happening. We don’t want anything to happen to you, so if you’re cool with it, we’re going to watch out for you until we get things settled.” It figured that Ax would know how to word it, the fucker.

  Reyn’s pretty face crumpled. “So you know who killed Tom?” The tears in her voice brought out Buck’s protective instincts.

  He pulled himself to a standing position as Steele interjected, “That’s what we’re trying to find out. I’m Arlan, by the way, but my friends call me Steele.”

  “Rider’s here, too,” Ax called down.

  “Hey, pretty girl!” Rider exclaimed.

  “I’m Cupcake,” Cupcake called out, as if anyone cared. Buck’s irritation at having to live through this absurd circle jerk of a moment evaporated at the sound of Reyn’s watery laughter.

  “I’m Goose!” Goose shouted down. Buck flinched. Fucking hell. As usual, Goose’s voice was about five octaves louder than necessary.

  “Why do you all have such ridiculous names?” she questioned. Again, Buck’s jaw tensed. If she was going to stick around, he would need to educate her.

  “We’ll explain it all to you, if you let Buck get you out of there,” Steele told her. Her head turned, and as she leveled her gorgeous eyes back on Buck, he felt his shoulders relax.

  He waited for her to give him the go-ahead. Still staring at him, she touched her head, muttered a quiet, “I don’t feel so good,” and collapsed onto the ground.

  “Fuck!” Buck exclaimed as he lunged for the nearest branch. A minute or so later, he dropped onto his butt beside Reyn. Breathing heavily, he pulled her into his lap and shouted, “Get us the hell out of here now!”

  It took over an hour for the guys to get them up the ravine. By that time, Reyn was awake and lucid, but complaining of a headache. Because of this, it didn’t take much to convince her to allow them to take her to The Cave so that Doc could take a look at her. Steele and Rider stayed back at the house with Goose and Cupcake, in order to deal with the dead boyfriend. The club didn’t exactly have the best track record with Austin’s finest, so none of them was particularly excited about getting the police involved. Steele, who was worried about the possible blow back, ended up calling their VP, Jake, and together they made the decision. They would need to call Carver. Carver was Austin’s police chief. He was also Steele’s brother and Ax’s cousin. Buck, Ax, and Carver had history together. They’d once been thick as thieves and the best of friends. That was a long time ago, and something that Buck didn’t like to think about. It was also why he disagreed with Steele and Jake’s decision. Carver had an axe to grind with the club and the hell if Buck was going to let him use Reyn to do it.

  After they made it to solid ground and Reyn had a moment to collect herself, she started asking questions. Steele fielded them, giving her as little information as possible. He assured her that they would deal with the police as well as take care of Tom. Not overly happy about this, but also realizing that she had no choice, she finally agreed to pack a bag. This gave Buck a moment to speak with Ax, Rider, Steele, and Loco.

  “Carver’s going to want to question her,” Buck said.

  “Who is she?” Steele asked. Buck scrubbed his hand over the back of his neck and thought about what to tell him.

  “She’s important,” he finally replied.

  “I’d say she’s a hell of a lot more than that,” Ax inserted. Buck gave him a what-the-fuck look and he shrugged.

  Steele stared at Buck, as if trying to read between the lines—lines that were getting blurrier by the minute.

  “Let’s get a move on. I need to get back to the ol’ lady,” Loco grumbled.

  “Fine. Once you get Reyn settled, come find me,” Steele told him. With a nod, Buck started for the door. “And Buck,” he called out. Buck paused, glancing over his shoulder. “I want to know everything. Are we clear?”

  “Crystal,” he muttered, before continuing out the door.

  Moments later, as he helped Reyn into the front passenger seat of the truck, he quietly said, “Ax is going to drive you. I’ll be following right behind. I’m going to make this okay.”

  Her head slowly turned, her eyes narrowing in on him. “Let’s get one thing clear. The only reason I’m sitting in this truck right now is because my boyfriend is lying dead inside my house, and I don’t want to stay here.”

  Buck was about to respond when Steele suddenly appeared. Dipping his head inside the driver’s-side window, he asked, “Before we get the police involved, I need to know if you have a gun in the house.” Buck almost laughed. Of course, there was no gun. Eyeing Steele warily, she questioned why. “Because the first thing they’ll do is look for a murder weapon. If they find a gun, they’ll automatically assume it’s the one used for the shooting and that will make you the prime suspect. Hell, knowing Carver, they’ll do that anyway, but having a gun in the house will just add fuel to the fire.”

  Reyn dropped her head to the back of the seat and let out a bone-weary sigh. There’s a built in safe in the back of the guest bedroom closet. The code is 2576. After you punch in the numbers, add three pound signs.” Steele gazed at me from across the car, and I knew what he was thinking.

  Things were about to get ugly.

  Chapter Four

  BUCK WANTED TO be the one to drive Reyn to The Cave, but he knew that she wasn’t in any shape to ride on the back of his bike. If it was up to him, he’d take her home to his house, but being that Doc needed to look at them both, and Steele wanted to talk after the meeting with Carver, The Cave was the better choice. This left them with Goose’s truck. Since Ax didn’t give two shits about who drove his bike, and Buck did, Ax was the one to take her. Buck didn’t like it, and Ax acting like a smug prick, didn’t help matters. After giving him a look that screamed retribution, Buck swallowed back his anger and agreed to follow behind.

  The drive gave Buck time to think. Reyn had to be confused. Somehow, he’d managed to dodge her interrogation, but knew that it was only a matter of time before he would have to give her answers. Real answers. He kept thinking about how different she seemed. The Reyn he remembered had been fragile. She’d smiled all the time and loved motorcycles. The few times she’d ridden on the back of his bike, she’d thrown her hands in the air and screamed her head off. Now, thanks to Zeke and Dooley, she hated them. Buck assumed this also meant that she hated anything associated with them, including him. He hadn’t meant for this to happen. They’d been gone from each other’s lives for years, now. Buck planned on it staying that way, but when Goose told him about those guys, he had to intervene. What other choice did he have? It was either that or let those fuckers kill her, and the hell if he was going to let that happen.

  The fact that Reyn had changed wasn’t what bothered him, though. Time changed everyone. It was how much she’d changed that had him worried. The woman who tried to chuck him down the ravine tonight was far from the sweet, innocent girl he once knew. She was hard, wary, and bitter. Buck had also changed over the years, but underneath it all he was still the same man. Not Reyn. It was like she was a completely different person. A few times he’d caught glimpses of the old Reyn, but they were brief. She was constantly guarded, but also shrewd and calculating. If it had been any other woman, he would have rescued the bitch and run, leaving her to deal with the aftermath. Being that this was Reyn, it mattered. She mattered. And now he was leading her straight into the lion’s den. How was he supposed to explain his life to her?

  The club had always been part of Buck’s life. His parents met when his dad was a prospect. A few years later they got married and had Buck. When he was a baby, his dad was killed while on a run. His mom raised him, but the club helped. They were like family; always there and always willing to step in when need be. It was because of this that Buck learned to live his life with honor and integrity. The club taught him that this world could be beautiful, and it could be br
utal, but no matter the circumstances, it was always real. What it wasn’t, was a place for a woman like Reyn. And yet, here she was. Buck would give his left nut to have Reyn in his world, in his bed, but not like this.

  While Ax stopped to punch in the code to the gate, Buck attempted to beat back the worry. Inhaling deeply, he told himself it would be alright. He would make it so, for Reyn. They pulled in front of the house, and before Ax even had a chance to turn off the engine, Buck was off his bike and opening Reyn’s door.

  “What is this place?” she asked. He could tell by her tone that she was impressed. He glanced up at the old house, a place he’d known his whole life, and considered it from her perspective. He could see how she’d find it impressive.

  “It’s our clubhouse, but we call it The Cave,” he explained.

  “That makes sense,” she muttered in a dry tone. He fought back a smile. Maybe this new Reyn wasn’t so bad after all. He reached for her hand to help her out of the cab and she jerked back, as if his touch hurt her.

  “Hey, this is me,” he quietly murmured. Her gaze shifted from her lap to his face. Slowly, her lips turned up into a partial smile, and he was once again reminded of the girl he used to know. Buck held his breath as she continued to stare, to study him, and he wondered what she was thinking. He would be happy to help her find those lost pieces of herself, if only she’d let him. She hesitated, as if trying to decide whether or not to trust him. When she finally slid her hand into his, he felt as if he’d won the fucking lottery.

  Smiling, Buck helped Reyn down from the cab. Hand in hand they made their way to the front porch. He tried not to think about how right it felt to touch her or how perfectly their hands fit together. He tried but failed.

  “This place was built by one of my ancestors in the early 1900s,” Ax stated from behind them. Reyn startled, as if she’d forgotten that Ax was even there, then quickly shook off Buck’s hand. Buck contemplated punching Ax in the face but held back as he suspected that would upset Reyn.

  Further interrupting, Ax stepped forward and pulled the door open. With a wave of his hand, he escorted Reyn inside, leaving Buck no choice but to follow behind. Buck grumbled to himself as they were led through the house. Using his better judgement, which was a rare thing, Ax bypassed the game room—where from the sound of it someone was getting nailed—and led them through the kitchen and into a room that they used as a makeshift ER and recovery room. Doc was waiting for them there. Instead of leaving, like Buck wanted, the fucker stayed with them, and while Doc checked them out, Ax proceeded to give a history lesson on the clubhouse. As he rambled on about how the place was originally a small wooden farmhouse that burned down, only to be rebuilt in brick and used as a speak easy during prohibition in the roaring 20s and then possibly a brothel or hotel of sorts thereafter, Reyn didn’t say a word. It was as if she’d completely tuned him out. Buck tried not to listen, but had to admit that, as annoying as he was, his brother had a way of telling a story. Doc checked Reyn’s eyes while they learned about Ax’s great uncle inheriting the place in the 50s.

  “As it hadn’t been used for years, the place was all kinds of jacked up,” he told them. “This was right about the time the club was established. Since the brothers had no place to congregate, GU decided to fix it up and use it as their main meeting place. The club house earned its name because of the bat caves bordering the land.”

  Both Reyn and Buck were now staring at Ax, but it was Doc who asked the question. “Who’s GU?”

  “Great Uncle,” Ax replied in an aren’t-you-an-idiot tone of voice. Buck glanced over at Reyn, who was trying not to smile, and shook his head.

  Storytime halted for a moment when Doc announced that Reyn may have a mild concussion. “You’ll want to check on her a few times during the night and generally keep an eye on her for the next 24 hours,” he directed at Buck.

  Reyn stiffened in her chair. “She is sitting right here,” she snapped, then turning to Buck, added, “and will not be sleeping in your bed.” Doc laughed. Buck didn’t say a word.

  “You’ll have a headache for a few days, possibly a week, so make sure and keep some ibuprofen nearby.” Doc handed her a few pills. “These are a little bit stronger but should take away the pain and allow you to sleep through the night.” Reyn took the pills and thanked him.

  Acting as if nothing had happened, Ax started story time back up. “The MC was called Steele Raiders after my GU, Benjamin Steele and his VP, Devon Raider. They were the two men who established the club.” Buck started to tell him to chill, when Ax shot him a look, and that’s when he began to clue in. By playing history professor, Ax was attempting to soften the blow, so to speak. And because Reyn was now glancing around the room with a look of humor on her face, instead of glaring at Buck, it seemed to be working.

  Doc turned his attention to Buck’s cheek, and asked, “What the hell happened to you?” Reyn snorted and Ax out-and-out laughed. Buck scowled at them both and told Doc just to get on with it.

  Doc snickered as Ax continued, “In the eighties my uncle Earl, Steele’s dad, became president. He was a monster of a man with the personality to match. His road name was Grizz, and he was feared and respected by all. Grizz met Steele’s mom, Victoria, and they had two sons, Arlan—who they called Steele—and Carver.” What he didn’t say was that Steele was just like his father, in that he lived and breathed the club. Carver, however, wanted nothing to do with it, which caused a hell of a lot of problems between Grizz and his ol’ lady. After tonight, those problems were about to get exponentially worse.

  Ax ended the story right as Doc finished patching Buck up. Both Doc and Ax said goodnight, and suddenly Buck found himself alone with Reyn. This was where things got tricky. Buck knew he could offer up a spare room, but that wasn’t going to happen. He wanted her in his bed. He wasn’t kidding himself. He knew nothing was going to happen between them—at least not tonight—but that didn’t stop him from wanting her there. Reyn eyed him warily.

  Pushing back from the stool he’d been sitting on, Buck stood. His eyes locked on hers and he held out his hand. “Come.”

  As if sensing a predator in her midst, she took a step back. “I can sleep on the sofa,” she stuttered. Her words irritated him. Hell, her actions irritated him, and Buck was sick and tired of feeling irritated.

  “You can, but there’s no telling what’s on that sofa.” Her nose turned up as she slowly digested his meaning. He arched a questioning brow. “Still want to sleep there?”

  “No, but you’re not sleeping in the bed with me,” she shot back at him. He hated to admit it, but her words and the way in which she’d said them—as if she’d rather sleep with a piece of shit than with him—stung.

  Buck lashed back at her. “People are trying to help you, so you might want to check the attitude.” Dropping his hand, he brushed past her as he headed in the direction of his room. No, he definitely did not like the new Reyn. For all he cared she could sleep on the damn jizz-covered couch.

  The Cave reminded Buck of just that; a giant man-cave. The red-brick monstrosity was three stories tall. The basement had a large room where they held all of their meetings, plus three additional bedrooms, one of which belonged to Steele. It also held the security room which was Grover’s domain. The main floor held the living room, dining room, kitchen, game room, med room, and both Steele and Jake’s offices. Upstairs had five bedrooms, all with their own bathrooms, plus an additional living area.

  As Buck hit the stairs, he heard Reyn ask, “How big is this place?”

  Relieved that she’d chosen his bed instead of the sofa—Buck wasn’t lying. They called that thing “the cum couch” for a good reason—he answered, “Seven thousand square feet, give or take.”

  “Do you and Ax live upstairs?”

  Him, Ax, Rider, and two others, he thought, but answered, “Yep.” The place was relatively empty, at least for a little while. Other than Steele, Goose, Cupcake, Loco, and whoever was boning in the game room, the
rest of the club was with Jake trying to find who jumped Sledge’s ol’ lady. Buck expected them to roll in anytime now.

  He paused at the top of the stairs and waited for her to catch up. They passed by Ax and Rider’s rooms before coming to his. “This is my room,” he muttered as he ushered her inside.

  Reyn barely made it across the threshold when she suddenly stopped dead in her tracks. Her back stiffened. Slowly, she turned and pierced him with a disgust-filled glare. Buck glanced past her to the bed, his eyes freezing on the figure curled beneath the covers. Motherfucker. He’d completely forgotten about Tara.

  In a tone filled with contempt, Reyn snarled, “On second thought, I’ll take that sofa after all.” With a huff, she brushed past him and out of the room, slamming the door loud enough to rattle the entire house.

  Buck walked over to the bed, slapped Tara on the ass, and told her it was time to go. As she scurried to do his bidding, he dropped his head back, stared at the ceiling . . . and smiled.

  Chapter Five

  REYN DIDN’T MEAN for the door to slam so hard. She simply wanted out. Out of Buck’s room and away from this place. What in the world had she been dragged into? A motorcycle club! She had no idea those things were even real. And the fact that Buck, Ax, and Rider were all members—

  She shook her head and tried not to wince at the pain. It felt as if someone was driving nails into her skull. The man who called himself Doc had given her those pills, but she had yet to take them. She strongly doubted that he was a real doctor, anyway. For all she knew, he could have given her a handful of roofies.

  Eyes stinging, she started down the hallway. After a few deep breaths and a harsh mental scolding, she managed to get her emotions under control. This was not the time to fall apart. There would be plenty of time for that later. If she could get to her house, she would be able to grab the painkillers from her bathroom. Tom’s lifeless hand flashed through her head. Reyn couldn’t believe that he was dead. One thing was for sure, these men knew more than they were saying. Every time she tried to ask questions, they gave her the runaround. Either that, or a history lesson. What I need is to get my bag, get the hell out of here, and worry about the— The rest of the thought vanished as she stepped into what appeared to be some sort of living area. Two leather sofas and several matching chairs were haphazardly scattered around what had to be the biggest television she’d ever seen. Sitting in one of the chairs with his feet propped up on a large wooden coffee table, a beer in one hand, and a cigarette in the other, was Ax. Shit. No offense to Ax, but she wasn’t up for another history lesson. She must have gone the wrong way when she exited Buck’s room. Irritated by her lack of direction—something she’d inherited from her mother—Reyn quickly turned to leave.