BLEED FOR HER

by Hilliard, RB

  “I wouldn’t do that,” Ax called after her. His chilly tone, and the way in which the words were delivered, made her halt in her tracks. She could feel her heart hammering in her chest. For a brief moment, she contemplated making a run for it, but the pain in her head stopped her. That and she evidently had no idea how to get out of this place. Swallowing back her angst, Reyn straightened her shoulders and turned to face him. He was different than she’d remembered. All of the guys were, but especially Buck.

  “Where’s Buck?” he asked, in that same, cold tone. Tension coiled inside her. The fact that he was acting this way, as if she’d done something wrong when she hadn’t, bothered her. She started to reply that he was in bed with his girlfriend, but then decided against it. She didn’t want him to know it bothered her. It shouldn’t have bothered her. She couldn’t allow herself to get invested or to care about these people. About anyone. Instead of answering him, she gave a shrug of indifference. “Does he know you’re in here?” She shrugged again. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his phone. “You shouldn’t be wandering around here alone,” he muttered. No shit. From the noises she’d heard downstairs as well as the ones coming from one of the upstairs bedrooms, it was clear that she should not be in this place. As she watched him type what she assumed was a text to Buck, she tried not to roll her eyes.

  Still mumbling, Ax slapped his phone down on the coffee table and stared at her. Then he proceeded to reiterate that it was a bad idea to wander around the clubhouse by herself. She was on the verge of telling him that she much preferred his history lessons over his lectures, when he stopped, and said, “You’ve changed.”

  Not able to help herself, she dryly replied, “Yeah, well, I guess that’s what getting shot and almost dying will do to a person.”

  Nodding to one of the leather chairs, he said, “Have a seat.”

  “No thanks. I’d rather stand.” His lips flattened in irritation, and she felt bad. Her intention wasn’t to make him mad. She just wanted to leave. “Look—”

  Ax cut her off. “He blames himself you know. If he could have gotten away, he would have warned you and stopped the whole thing from happening. For years I’ve watched him beat himself up about it.” Gotten away? What was he talking about? A part of her wanted to ask, but the other part—the part that had spent the last five years trying to forget—didn’t.

  “Nobody could have stopped what happened, Ax. Believe me, they tried.”

  “Believe me, Buck could have,” he shot back at her. Clearly this was going nowhere.

  “If I can just get my bag, then I can call an Uber.” He smiled. It wasn’t a good smile either. It was condescending, and if there was one thing Reyn hated, it was someone who got off on trying to make others feel inferior.

  “Buck won’t let you leave,” he informed her, still smiling. A skitter of fear trickled down her spine.

  This time it was Reyn who threw out the challenge. “I’d like to see him try and stop me.”

  Narrowing his eyes at her, he said, “You don’t get it.”

  Catapulting past fear and straight to anger, she clipped, “Then please enlighten me, old wise one.”

  Leaning forward, he crushed out his cigarette, his feet sounding like fifty-pound weights as they dropped to the floor. Reyn took a step back. “You want enlightenment, I’ll give you enlightenment. If not for Buck having eyes on your house, you would be dead right now. But because you mean something to him and that means something to us, the entire club rallied to make sure that didn’t happen. Instead of being grateful, you insulted my president and then you insulted my brother. I realize that you’re used to your pretentious life,” his eyes swept from her head to her feet, before adding, “and your designer shit and all, but you’re in our world now, and in our world, you will show respect, you will act grateful, and you will not walk around our clubhouse by yourself.”

  Go fuck yourself dangled dangerously from Reyn’s lips. Who did he think he was? An egotistical ass, that’s who. “Excuse me if I was less than polite when I awakened from my passed-out state to discover a man from my sordid past—a past I’ve struggled every day for the last five years to try and forget, mind you—hovering over me! And excuse me for then assuming that he was somehow associated with Ponytail and his sidekick—who were going to kill me, by the way. And as for insulting your brothers—even though I really don’t think I did—you’ll have to forgive me. I was scared out of my mind to discover that some guy named Rye had his goons kill my almost fiancé and wants me dead!” she shouted at the top of her lungs.

  “What’s going on in here?” Buck asked from the doorway. Reyn jumped. Gasping, she spun to face him. All it took was one look at his concerned face, and she burst into tears. Before she knew what was happening, she was up in his arms and they were heading for the door. “We’ll talk about this later,” he directed at Ax, before carrying her down the hallway and into his room, which thankfully no longer held his sleeping girlfriend.

  _______________

  Buck knew that eventually the reality of what happened would sink in, he just hoped it would be later rather than sooner. Reyn’s meltdown didn’t stop the fact that he and Ax were going to have a little chat, but that could wait. Bypassing the bed, he dropped onto his favorite leather chair. As he settled Reyn in his lap, he slowly rubbed his hand up and down her back. “Shhh, I’ve got you,” he murmured.

  “He’s dead,” she sobbed. Jealousy whipped through him. Buck could have sworn she didn’t love the guy. Maybe he was wrong.

  Pressing his lips to the side of her head, he whispered, “I know, darlin’, and I’m sorry.” It took some time, but finally she lost the fight and began to relax. Pretty soon her head was on his shoulder and her body melded to his. Buck tried not to think about how good it felt to have her in his arms. The only thing that would make it better was if she was in his house.

  “I didn’t mean to insult you,” she sleepily muttered.

  “You didn’t insult me.”

  “Ax said I did.”

  “Ax is an ass,” he snapped, and smiled when she let out an amused-sounding huff.

  After a long moment of silence—of which she continued to work out her tears and he continued stroking his hand up and down her back—she said, “I don’t belong here, Buck.” She followed it with a much quieter, “I don’t belong anywhere.”

  “Bullshit. You belong anywhere you choose.” She didn’t respond and it took him a moment to figure out that she’d fallen asleep.

  Kissing the side of her head, he whispered, “You belong with me.” Then carefully shifting her off his lap, he slid out of the chair. He covered Reyn with a blanket before making his way downstairs, the entire time thinking about what she’d said. The heartache behind her words left him with a gaping hole in his chest. Did she actually feel that way? If so, he was going to have to do something about it.

  He found Ax in Jake’s office, where he, alongside Jake, Rider, and Loco, appeared to be having a serious conversation. The last thing Buck needed was more of Jake’s shit.

  Four years ago—and two months into Jake’s role as vice president—Buck was asked to move back to Austin to help rebuild the club. Being that Jake was so much older than Buck, they’d rarely crossed paths. Jake took an instant dislike to him. Buck got it; the guy had fought his way from a lowly prospect to one of Grizz’s enforcers. He was top dog. He was also a mean motherfucker who got off on being a dick to everyone. Jake was the kind of guy who demanded respect but did nothing to earn it. When the main power of the club was taken out, it left them with a huge hole to fill. Steele, who wasn’t anywhere near ready to be president, had no choice but to step up. Jake became his VP by default. Everyone knew this, including Jake himself.

  It took Buck no time at all to earn the respect of his brothers. This made Jake a bitter cocksucker, which he took out on Buck every chance he got. If it had been up to Jake, Buck would never have become a prospect, much less a patched member.

  Loco caug
ht sight of Buck lingering in the hallway and waved him inside.

  He barely had a chance to sit down before Jake was on him. “Heard your pussy’s got a mouth on her. Also, judging by your cheek, it looks like she has a good right hook.”

  Buck knew that Ax wouldn’t speak bad about Reyn, so that left Loco. He leveled his gaze on Loco and kept it there until Loco muttered, “I didn’t mean nothin’ by it,” and glanced away.

  Shifting his gaze to Ax, Buck asked, “What the fuck did you say to her?”

  “Nothing she didn’t need to hear,” Ax shot back at him.

  “From now on, why don’t you let me decide what she does and doesn’t need to hear.”

  Ax scowled. “She’s not the same girl.”

  “And I’m not the same guy. None of us are.”

  “She fucking insulted Steele.”

  Buck opened his mouth to respond, when a voice from the doorway said, “Why don’t you let me worry about that.” By the tone of his voice, Buck could tell that Steele was in a foul mood and clamped his mouth shut.

  “About time you got back,” Jake clipped.

  “Meet me in my office in ten,” Steele said before disappearing out the door.

  “Fuck,” Ax mumbled. Fuck was right.

  Chapter Six

  BUCK TOOK THE ten minutes to check on Reyn, who was thankfully still sleeping. With the guys now back in the house being all loud and shit, he figured it would be short lived. The last thing he wanted was for her to wake up and decide to go wandering around again. Ol’ ladies and club girls were one thing, but a gorgeous, innocent-looking female, would be considered free game. He needed to find a way to keep her safe inside his room without making her feel like a prisoner.

  As he stepped into the hallway, he spotted Tiny coming out of Rider’s room. Tiny was a six-foot, five-inch, three-hundred-pound giant of a man, and one of the nicest guys Buck had ever known. He was on his third year as a prospect and a few months shy of earning his patch. Tiny also owed him fifty bucks.

  “Watch this door for me and I’ll consider your debt paid,” Buck told him. “If she tries to leave, stop her, and then send someone to get me.”

  Tiny’s eyes widened. “Really? That’s great!” then thinking better of it, said, “Wait, did you say she?”

  Smiling, Buck slapped him on the back. “Don’t worry, she won’t bite.” Then chuckling at the “oh shit” look on Tiny’s face, he headed back downstairs to Steele’s office. On the way there he thought about how fundamentally different Steele and Jake were. Arlan Steele was a stand-up guy who’d inherited every good trait his parents ever had. He listened to his men and always tried to do right by the club. Like Grizz, his motto was “Club first, always.” Jake, on the other hand, was a classic narcissist who based all decisions on how it would affect him, and only him. He was divisive, or as Buck’s mom used to say, “A pot stirrer.” Buck could admit that he was slightly bitter. If not for Jake, the vote to make him the new SGT-at-Arms would have been unanimous. Because of Jake, Steele was forced to step in and overrule Jake’s non-vote. If there was trouble, then nine times out of ten, it had something to do with Jake. Buck had no doubt in his mind that had Grizz lived, the mantle would still have been passed to Steele, but there was no way in fucking hell the members would have voted for Jake as their VP.

  When Buck reached Steele’s office, he noticed that Steele had yet to arrive. He also noticed that all the available chairs were taken. This meant that he would have to stand, which in turn irritated him. Buck was wondering where Steele was, when he walked through the door. Steele immediately took in the crowd and scowled.

  “Ax, Rider, Loco, and Buck, stay. The rest of you need to go.”

  “I vote they stay,” Jake countered.

  Looking tired and harassed, Steele replied, “Then you should have called a meeting.” His eyes shifted to the three standing men—who were waiting to see if they were getting booted or not—and he ordered, “Out.” Buck took the seat next to Ax and that’s when he noticed the duffel bag beside the door.

  Jake caught Buck staring at it, and asked, “What’s in the bag?”

  Steele waved him off. “We’ll get to that in a minute. First, I want Buck to tell us about Reynolds Walker.” Buck knew this was coming.

  “What do you want to know?” he asked.

  “Who is she?”

  He was considering how much to share, when Ax blurted, “She was a casualty of Dooley Shane and Zeke Mirenis.” Buck aimed a hard look at him. Of course, the fucker ignored it.

  “A casualty how?” Jake questioned.

  Ax opened his mouth to answer, and Buck said, “She was Mirenis’ girl. He was abusing her, and I didn’t like it, so I tried to step in and help.”

  Steele settled back in his chair. “I take it you failed?”

  “He almost died because of it,” Rider interjected. Steele’s brow shot up and Buck sighed. So much for telling things his way.

  Maniacally swishing his hands together, Loco murmured, “Story time.”

  “Make sure to start at the beginning,” Ax told him.

  Realizing that he had no choice, Buck told them how he came to know Reyn.

  When he was done, Steele asked, “How long has she been back in town?”

  “Three years, give or take,” Buck told him. In truth she’d been back three years, two weeks, and four days. He knew it down to the day.

  Jake whistled. “And you’ve had eyes on her that whole time? That must’ve cost you a pretty penny.”

  A muscle ticked in Buck’s jaw. “I’m resourceful,” he dryly replied.

  Jake started to comment, but Steele cut him off. “What do you know about the boyfriend?”

  “He was fifty-two and worked in investing.” He was also a giant pussy, as far a Buck was concerned.

  Jake chuckled. “She likes ‘em old.” Buck didn’t have to scowl, Steele did it for him.

  “Do you think he could have gotten himself killed?” Steele asked.

  Buck shook his head. “Naw, I had him looked into. The guy was loaded, but he was also conservative. Trust me, he played strictly by the books.” He was also boring as hell and all kinds of wrong for Reyn, but he didn’t tell Steele this.

  After a moment of contemplation, Steele asked, “You sure? He was a money guy. He could have made a bad deal or owed someone?”

  Buck considered it for a moment, then shrugged. “Maybe, but I don’t think so.”

  “Did you know about her little hobby?” Buck tensed. What hobby?

  “Knitting?” Ax joked. Everyone but Steele and Buck laughed.

  “Not quite,” Steele replied. Buck watched him twist sideways and wrap both hands around the handles of the duffel. The tension in the room escalated as he hefted it off the floor, placed it on the desk, and slowly drew back the zipper to expose the contents. The room went electric.

  “Holy fuck!” Rider exclaimed. Buck took in the compact Kimber revolver. It held six deadly .38 caliber shots and was remarkably small with a gleaming brushed stainless finish. Next to that was a sawed-off Winchester shotgun. With the barrel shortened to less than 18 inches, it would be easily aimed and lethal in close quarter combat, which made it a weapon of choice for military close combat units as well as police SWAT teams. A black semi-automatic pistol rounded out the firearms. This little number would be much faster to fire and reload and sported a high-capacity magazine. Reyn clearly knew her firearms. Apparently, she also knew her knives, because the weapons cache also included a black, steel fixed-blade knife that sported a short handle and roughly 5-inch upwardly curved blade. Buck recognized this as a “Clever Girl” knife, so named after the raptors in the Jurassic Park movies. This beauty was just as deadly in close combat. Finally, a Cold Steel Spartan folding knife rounded out the collection. This knife’s blade was sharp enough to cut through the hood of a car. It was a combat and self-defense favorite that could be flipped open with one hand by tripping a thumb plate.

  Loco whistled. “Now this is
my kind of woman.”

  “Not me. I’d be afraid to piss her off for fear of getting my dick chopped off,” Jake hooted.

  “Anything you want to tell us?” Steele asked. Buck’s jaw ticked. He didn’t know what to say, other than he had no idea that his Little Ninja was hoarding weapons. He knew that what happened to her had fucked with her head, but clearly, he’d misjudged to what degree.

  His gaze skated over the contents before he fixed it on Steele. Hoping it wouldn’t come to this, he whispered a silent, “Fuck.” Then he gave them some insight. “Zeke treated Reyn like a dog. He constantly degraded and beat her. I remember the first time she caught him cheating and tried to walk. I honestly thought she was gone that time, but then the fucker sweet-talked her back.” Buck swallowed hard before continuing, “He beat her to the point that Dooley had to call in a doctor.” Staring straight at Steele, needing for him to get it, he rasped, “He broke her fucking bones.” Steele let out a curse.

  Rider stood and began pacing. “Why didn’t you tell us?”

  “Because I was freaked out. Mom was dying and I desperately needed money for her chemo.”

  “Yeah, that was fucked up. Dad was mad as hell when he found out,” Steele interjected.