Oleander: One of Us Series

by Faulks, Kim

  “I’ll do my best, we’re short a man Mamó, and they got a lot of people to see.”

  She straightened her spine, and reached for his hand. “Aye, you will. You always do, but you promise me Gunter is first on your list. I worry about him now he has no family.”

  “He has us.” Maddox rose to his feet, bent low and kissed her forehead. “And you.”

  She shifted her gaze, settling those cunning eyes on me. “And now he has…I didn’t catch your name, child.”

  “Oleander,” I murmured and glanced to Maddox.

  She cocked her head as his eyes widened. “I didn’t hear you, love.”

  “Oleander,” my voice rang clear. “My name is Oleander.”

  Like the tree, the noxious, poisonous tree…she knew now. Knew what I was…knew what demons lay…

  “Because of the purple,” Maddox answered. “I like it.”

  “It’s strange, but who am I to knock strange. You can call me Mamó, just like Fergal.”

  “Maddox,” he muttered, his cheeks reddening. “I’ve asked you a hundred times Mamó to call me Maddox.”

  “And you can ask me a hundred more,” she snarled softly. “I’m tired, and cold. I’m going to take these old bones to bed. So lock the door when you leave…Fergal.”

  He looked older in this light, kinder…like a real person as he watched her stand and then shuffle out of the small dining room and along the hall.

  “I worry about her,” he murmured. “I worry about her living all alone here. I want more for her…Hell, I want more for all of them, Purple. But there’s only so much I can do. And the woman is stubborn, you have no idea how stubborn she is. She doesn’t want any more than she needs to get by. Wanted the money spread around, helping everyone and not just her. So, we do what we can.”

  He grabbed the tumbler from my hands and then turned and made for the kitchen. I looked around this place. It was so small…and cold, and I saw then, saw what he was doing—and the kind of man he was. “You take care of them, bring them food.”

  He slowed his steps and then stopped at the sink. The old copper pipes howled as he twisted the taps. “I try. I do what I can, and we take care of our own first. We’re a family.”

  “And tomorrow?”

  “Justin’s sick and can’t make the delivery. We have a driver, just needed another to carry in the supplies.”

  I glanced at the old yellow cupboards and the chipped green laminate counter, and answered, “I’ll do it. I’ll help them.”

  The water hit the bottom of the sink. There was a second where I didn’t think he’d heard me, before he turned. “You don’t even know us.”

  But I did. I knew more about Maddox and his grandmother than I knew about my own. And as he placed the glasses upside down on the empty rack I had a feeling he knew this would happen all along.

  Chapter Seven

  Oleander

  “I don’t like you out there.” Maddox leaned forward and twisted the key in the ignition. “It’s damn cold, and my guys are freezing their asses off keeping an eye on you.”

  I flinched, heart hammering, and then slowly turned my head. “Why?”

  “Told you before, Purple. I like you, and as much as I love Demand, this place ain’t no place to be lost in, you get me?”

  A chill seeped into the car as he pulled onto the road. I didn’t like anyone watching me. Didn’t like anyone knowing me…not like that.

  “They say we’re a gang, but we’re nothing compared to the part-timers, those bastards will stab you in the guts for a pack of cigarettes. It’s not like it used to be. It’s not like it at all. But we…we take care of our own.”

  Take care of their own…I turned my head to stare at the row of brownstone houses that we left.

  “We’re a family, you know? Bears for life.”

  He glanced at me as he said the words, as though he could somehow peel back the layers of my mind and see what lay underneath. He’d read my journal…pushed inside my fears—stole a tiny piece of me, he had no right in stealing.

  But the words…the words resonated.

  Family.

  I wanted to belong more than anything in this world, and the harder I searched for that feeling, the further it slipped away. I glanced toward Maddox as he turned his head. Our gaze connected, and for a second I couldn’t catch my breath.

  Trust him. The need roared through my head as he turned the car through the city streets. I glanced through the windshield to unfamiliar houses. Street names flew by at a blur. My heart sped as I tried to find a direction. “Where are we going?”

  “You’ll see.”

  Panic punched through my chest and filled my head with the roar. Maddox hit the signal and slowed the car. I didn’t like this…didn’t like this at all.

  Stupid…stupid idiot! Get out of the car…get out of the damn car now!

  I glanced toward the door handle, and then out into the dark. Panic rose, clenching my gut and making me shiver. I dropped my hand to the buckle of my belt, and all of a sudden, I was nine once more, climbing into the cabin of a truck over the Alaskan state line…don’t touch me…don’t touch me…don’t make me touch you.

  And that dark power rose inside me, tearing through my veins like a shot of adrenaline as an eight-foot gate rolled open in front of us. I glanced at the top, catching the shine of razor wire.

  “It’s not much, but it’s home,” Maddox said as he swung the nose of the car into the driveway and parked.

  It was more like a concrete bunker above ground, a remnant of Government offices…but now it belonged to the Bears.

  Maddox punched a remote attached to the visor and the gate rolled closed behind us once more. He was taking me to meet the others. Gang. The word raced through my head. “Maybe, I should go.”

  He shoved the truck into park and killed the engine. “If you want, Purple. No one’s gonna make you do anything you don’t want to do. But it’s warm in there. We got food, drink. We even got spare rooms to crash in, if you want, and it’s warm. Come in, meet the others. If you want to leave then the front door isn’t locked.”

  He yanked the handle and shoved open the driver’s door. Cold flooded the cabin, stealing the heat from my breath before he closed the door again. The whiskey burned in my belly, sloshing and lapping the sides as I watched as Maddox rounded the rear of the vehicle.

  He said this was a family, said it was safe…and I wanted to believe him. I wanted to believe him more than anything. Fear was a fist around my heart as I reached for the handle and yanked.

  The cold was bitter and cruel, slapping my cheeks until they burned. Maddox knew I wanted this, he knew this was what I needed. I stared at the shadows which clung to the doors. I lived my entire life in fear…always pushing people away. Maybe I didn’t know what it felt like to be wanted?

  Maybe I didn’t know what it felt like to have friends?

  “Purple, I’m freezing my damn nuts off out here, you comin’ or what?” Maddox shivered and clenched his fists under the edge of his sleeve.

  I shoved the door closed behind me, sucked in the frigid air deep and strode forward. Pale lips curled at the edges as he lifted his hand and punched the button on the remote. “Thatta girl.”

  Yellow lights flashed once behind me, and the dull thud as the locks engaged. I followed Maddox as he turned and made for the shadows. The silver keypad sat on the outside of the door. Maddox punched in four numbers and then shoved the handle and pushed through.

  A black blur rushed, and a beast descended. The dog was massive, licking and lunging. Maddox laughed and pushed inside, leaving me to follow. “Down Demon. Come on now. Get down, you’re too damn heavy.”

  There wasn’t a touch of anger in his tone. He glanced over his shoulder to me. “Yank that closed would you? Don’t mind the beast here, he’s as friendly as they come.”

  “Just not too friendly.” A woman stepped from a doorway, gave me the once over and then turned to Maddox. “Especially to newcomers. Every
thing’s done, boss. Just like you asked.”

  “Sarah, this is Purple. Purple, Sarah.” Maddox glanced over his shoulder at me.

  I gave a nod as her red lips flattened. She didn’t want me here, didn’t want me anywhere near her domain. I got that… hostility in her deep brown eyes. A crack of laughter came from deeper in the compound. Sarah stepped to the side, watching as Maddox pushed through and headed toward the sound.

  She didn’t want me here. Didn’t want me anywhere near her food, or her den. I got that, got that better than most people. Animal instinct raged, blending with that darkness inside me. I lowered my head, watching…always watching and followed Maddox into the open area.

  The place was eerie and dark, dim yellow lights illuminated a bar on the left side, running along the wall. A male about the same age as Maddox stood behind it, with an older woman at his side.

  “Purple, this is Keif and Dawn.”

  A brow rose on the male, one look of what the Hell, to Maddox and he was leaning across the wooden bar to grasp my hand. “It’s a pleasure. Maddox didn’t tell us he was having company, otherwise we would’ve tidied the place up.”

  “Do I ever tell you what I’m doing?” Maddox growled.

  “No, no you don’t,” Keif muttered with a shake of his head.

  The woman strode around the bar in fuck-me boots that stretched halfway up her pale thighs with a smile pasted on full pink lips. “Don’t even give them any mind,” she snapped, “Bunch of boys.”

  Maddox chuckled at my side and shook his head. He turned away, strode to one of the rows of lounges and flopped down hard. “Watch out for her, Purple. This one’s bound to lead you astray.”

  Keif coughed hard, stifling a bark of laughter with the sound, as out of the darkness came more…men, women. I recognized the big guy from the restaurant. They all piled in, some strode up to the bar.

  Glasses of alcohol were poured as the women gathered together on one side, and the men on the other. There were jokes, slaps on the back and a click of glasses as they settled in.

  And all the while two men stood at either side of the front of the building watching. They called out, joined in on the laughter from a distance, but never took their eyes off the darkened streets outside.

  They were a family, a viscous, dangerous family.

  But a family nonetheless.

  Maddox glanced my way, eyes glinting with pride. He took me to his grandmother’s…and now he bought me here—into his home—into his life.

  I slid the straps of my pack from my shoulders and dropped my bag to the ground. The movement wasn’t lost on this leader of rebels. His lips curled, hard eyes softened just that little bit more. A hunger filled them now, a hunger I never felt before.

  “He likes you,” Dawn murmured beside me. “Fuck me, I never thought I’d see the day.”

  She turned toward me, lifted her gaze to the other women and then settled those blue orbs on me. “Watch your back around the other girls, honey. They’ve been after a piece of Maddox’s heart for as long as I can remember. Looks like he kept that piece just for you.”

  I glanced over my shoulder to glaring stares and fake smiles. Dawn wasn’t like them. I guess age carried a lot less baggage. “I never asked to be brought here, never asked Maddox for anything.”

  “And yet, here you are,” Dawn murmured and placed a hand on my arm.

  I flinched at the touch but stopped from pulling away.

  “How about a drink, something to settled the serves, hey?”

  Dawn’s hand slipped from my arm as she rounded the edge of the bar. Glasses were plucked from the shelves, and amber liquid flowed, before a drink slid my way.

  “Welcome.” Dawn raised her glass to me. “Welcome to our den.”

  I liked her…liked her garish makeup and her high-heeled boots. I liked that she didn’t care about the other women, and in her own way she made this place a home. I stepped close to the bar, grabbed the glass and lifted.

  Heat filled my mouth with the bitter taste, shoving the last traces of the cold aside as it slid down my throat and into my belly.

  “So, you’re the tag along, huh?”

  I turned at the male voice behind me and lifted my gaze to the wall of muscle.

  “Cog, meet Purple. She’s the one I was telling you about,” Maddox called from across the floor.

  Cog…what kind of name was that? Prison tattoos marred his muscled arms and crawled all the way along his neck.

  Gold glinted from his teeth as he smiled, and growled. “So, you’re the one, huh?”

  “I’m the one,” I murmured and fought the need to turn and run. “But I just want to clear the air. Whatever bad stuff he told you about me was a lie.”

  There was a second where this man mountain stilled, dark eyes glinting as behind me Maddox roared with laughter and called out. “I told you she was damn feisty.”

  But the brute in front of me covered with tattoos of death and blood gave a small nod. “The name’s Incognito, but most around here just call me Cog.”

  I forced a smile and bumped knuckles to knuckle. “I’m Oleander.”

  “Oleander,” he murmured and cocked his head, staring at my hair. “I like it. It suits you.”

  You have no idea. The thought filled my head.

  “I’ll pick you up from here at six o’clock sharp. I gotta warn you though, it’s going to be a hard going. So, I want to make sure you’re physically prepared for a day filled with hot tea and biscuits, and gossip about who stole the cake at last week’s bingo.”

  A smile curled the edge of my lips. I liked Cog. Liked him a lot. I liked the way you were a little terrified, and yet there was an element of kindness about him—a warmness that couldn’t be faked.

  “I’ll be here,” I answered, calculating the distance from the bridge to the compound.

  “There’s no doubt about it. I got a room made up for you.”

  I turned at Maddox’s voice right behind me. I hadn’t seen him move, hadn’t heard anything until he was right here. Long strands of hair flew across my face as I shook my head. “I can’t.”

  “You can,” Maddox murmured and stepped close to look me in the eyes. “You’re safe here. I promise on my life, no one’s gonna touch you. You got a lock on your door. Hell, I’ll give you a damn gun if it makes you feel any better. It’s warm, Purple. It’s warm and it’s safe and it’s better than being out there.”

  “He’s right,” Dawn broke in. “It’s too damn cold out there tonight. Keif and I will be back tomorrow, we can do something nice, hey? Just us girls, get to know each other a little.”

  My heart thundered inside my head. I could feel their gaze like a hunter’s on the back of my neck. Even in the cold winter’s night, heat raced like a current through me.

  Not safe. Nowhere was safe.

  “There’s a lock on your door, Purple. Ain’t no one getting into this place tonight, I guarantee it,” Maddox murmured.

  The words welled into the back of my throat. I tried to swallow, tried to shove it all down. How could I tell them that the monster wasn’t out there…

  The monster was me…

  Please, his eyes pleaded for him, but Maddox would never say the words. I glanced at the others…at Dawn who curled badly pink lips and nodded.

  “Okay,” I murmured. “Okay, I’ll stay.”

  “There you go,” Maddox barked and then turned to everyone smiling.

  But not all were smiling. Not all wanted me here.

  Still I turned, following Cog with my gaze as he headed back along the hall. “Six o’clock it is, Oleander.”

  Others followed him, making their way along the hallway to the rear door of the building. Dawn grabbed her jacket from the counter, and glared at Keif, a clear sign she was ready to go home.

  And slowly, one by one…they all left, leaving Maddox, me and the two guards watching the street alone. Still the leader of this gang never made a move on me. He leaned back in the sofa, drained the rest of his
glass and then pushed to his feet. “We’ll get you sorted, yeah?”

  I bent and grabbed my pack as thoughts snuck into my head. Why was he doing this? What did he want from me? Sex…I stiffened at the thought. Did he want sex from me?

  The scuff of his boots drew my gaze as I gripped my bag and straightened.

  “You okay?” Maddox shot me a sideways glance as he neared the bar and slid his empty glass along the counter.

  A nod was all I could give as panicked images set in. But he knew…he knew something was wrong.

  “Did you have a good time tonight?” he murmured and turned toward me.

  “Yes.” The clipped word slipped free.

  He was sleek, moving without a sound to turn toward me. Desire danced in his eyes. I caught every movement…every movement of his fingers. Don’t touch me…please don’t touch me.

  His smile widened. “Dawn seems to like you, and she doesn’t like anyone.”

  “Funny,” I muttered and lowered my gaze. “She says the same about you.”

  “You do that a lot, you know?” He took a step, fingers dancing as he lifted his hand.

  Don’t…don’t touch me…my fingers curled into fists as the memory of that van came back to me. Burst veins in his eyes, blood seeping in rivulets from his nose. Bits of scrambled egg stuck against his cheek, blending with the violent mess.

  I don’t touch. I don’t touch anyone…Maddox’s fingers skimmed my forehead as he caught a lock of my hair. “You lower your eyes, and look at the ground. Why do you do that? So submissive, aren’t you?”

  I flinched at his words and tried to pull away. “You want sex, is that it?” Fire lashed my words.

  “No…well, yes. Eventually, I hope.” He dropped his hand and took half a step away. “I told you, Purple, I like you, and if there’s one thing you should know about me…it’s that I’m a patient man.” The band around my chest eased as he looked to the others standing sentry and gave a nod. “Now, how about we get you settled. Got a big day tomorrow. God knows Cog needs backup, last week one of them tried to set him up on a date with the local Minister’s granddaughter. Can you imagine that?”