by Nicole Snow
I crouched down at face level, eyeball to eyeball, gripping the chair behind her shoulders. “Alice, I need you to tell me anything you remember – anything at all – about the man named Mickey James and what you were doing at the Pagan Rams' clubhouse.”
She stared at me for a second. Then her eyes quickly shifted away. “We've been through this before...I'm lucky to remember my own name. Nothing else. I was sick. I woke up in the closet. I was scared to come out when I saw the dead body so I stayed there, cowering every time they brought me meals. I don't remember anyone named Mickey.”
Stinger was leaning back on Blaze's desk behind me. He broke forward with a snort, pacing the floor around us.
“Don't understand what the fuck Blaze expects you to do. Alice doesn't know shit. Whatever the hell happened with the Rams, it was bad enough to make her forget, just like you said.”
“No,” I said, never taking my eyes off her. “She can't give us the big picture. But she might remember some details. There's got to be somebody home in there.”
Finally, the girl looked up, more than a little fury dancing in her eyes. “Stop talking about me like that. I didn't ask to be here. I don't understand why you and these bikers are keeping me here.”
“Easy, baby.” Stinger put his hand on her shoulder. “We're just trying to help a friend, and help you too.”
She rolled her shoulders. I took a few steps backward as she thrashed, throwing him off her. Stinger looked hurt, and then angry.
The sugar wasn't working. Time for the spice. Tank's face was all that was on my mind as I circled her, closer and closer. I reached out and grabbed her raven black ponytail, tilting her head with a twist, forcing her to look at me.
“Emma, what the fuck?” Stinger's hands were on me in an instant.
“You guys are too scared to get tough with a girl unless she's being a real bitch. I get it, you don't rough up girls. Thing is, I'm not bound by your club charter. This bitch is hiding something, Sting, and I want to know what.”
“Let go! Stop hurting her!” he growled, digging his fingers into my shoulders.
It hurt, but it wasn't a fraction of the force he would've used on a man. I knew the VP wouldn't hurt a woman unless she was threatening their life or fucking over the club.
“Oh, please.” I twisted her ponytail, harsher this time. Alice whimpered. “She's had worse. If she'd tell us what, then I wouldn't have to keep doing this.”
I pulled harder. Alice jerked, but her struggle only made her hair pinch tighter in my fist. Behind me, Stinger shifted his hands, ready to pick me up and carry me away if he could just get my death grip off her.
“Dammit, Em, I'm fucking warning you.”
One more pull. Harder! Wicked determination stormed through my blood.
I yanked. Alice came completely out of her chair, grunting in pain and falling. She hit the floor. Soon as I lost my grip, Stinger whipped me up off my feet and rushed to the nearest wall, pinning me down.
“Everybody's losing their fucking mind around here!” he roared. “Look, nurse, I know you're upset as all hell about Tank's situation. That's still no excuse for you to treat this poor girl like a piece of fucking –“
“Okay! I'll...I'll talk.” Alice's voice cracked as she stumbled to her feet. “You people are nuts.”
Stinger's grip on me instantly relaxed. He turned around, face lined with surprise.
“I'm going to tell you everything I remember,” she said, staring with hateful eyes. “After that, I want to forget about all this crap. I want you to let me go. If you keep holding me here, you're no better than the Rams. I can't be a prisoner to a bunch of bikers!”
Stinger stepped up, his eyes hard and dark. “I'll check with Blaze. You're right, Alice. Long as we're certain you're safe, there's no reason to keep you here.”
Ignoring him, Alice looked at me, my signal to come closer again. She stepped away from Stinger and sat in the chair, ready for confession.
“I'm not faking my bad memory. I don't remember any man named Mickey James or even what happened in that clubhouse. I don't remember shit about my old life. All I know is how I got there...”
“Go on. Please,” I added as an afterthought.
“I was riding with a big man across the plains. Had to be Wyoming or some other place rugged and windy. He didn't talk much. He was...familiar. Had a strong silent way about him, but I'm sure he wasn't a lover. Maybe an Uncle or something. The drive was intense. We were under a lot of pressure. He drove a huge truck, and it was filled to capacity. So full the cargo nearly stretched into the cabin. He kept telling me not to worry, that we'd have a way to unload all this crap as soon as we got to Montana.
“It was some kind of deal. The cargo looked like crates, weapon boxes, bombs...stuff you'd see in a war zone or a movie. I only remember seeing it once or twice when he opened it at night, whenever we pulled over to sleep.”
Stinger's eyes lit up. So did mine.
“Did you guys see a truck when you visited their clubhouse?” I asked him.
“Fuck no. That shit had to have gone somewhere if it was really the kinda shipment she's talking about. Fuck, I have to tell Blaze. If we can find this damned thing or make the Rams cough up what they did with it...”
He didn't finish before he rushed out the door. I was smiling, filling in the blanks. If the brothers found this stupid truck with its illegal cargo, then Tank had a good chance of keeping his freedom.
Alice got up and started walking to the door. I stepped up before she reached it, grabbing her shoulder.
“What! Why can't anybody here just leave me alone?” She snarled, trying to twist away.
“Stop being such an ungrateful bitch. I get it, Alice. I really do.” I took my hand away and she turned around to face me. “You're pissed off, confused, and you've got no clue what's going to happen next. What you don't understand is these guys are the good ones. If they hadn't paid a visit to the Rams, you'd still be there. Probably somewhere worse.”
She cocked her head, wondering what I meant.
“You think they were just going to leave you cooped up in that room? They would've had to deal with Mickey's body at some point. MCs are very good at making things disappear, even sloppy ones like the Rams. What would they have done with you? Do you have any idea how big a favor Stinger and Blaze did bringing you here? They saved your fucking life.”
Vivid red flooded her cheeks. I wasn't sure if it was genuine shame or just more misguided anger.
“You're not my big sister,” she said coldly. “I'm not a biker's whore like all the girls here. I don't care what Stinger's done. He's just another man who acts like he's helping. Really, he only cares because he wants to get between my legs...he wants to fuck me and throw me away.”
Damn. Why couldn't she see how wrong she was? The temptation to reach for her hair again and make her head spin was becoming irresistible. Maybe I should've gone lower to find the stick shoved deep in her ass.
I was a nurse, after all.
“Maybe keeping yourself cooped up here with these deadly, crazy bastards is for you, Emma. It's not for me. Soon as somebody gives me the okay, I'm gone, and I won't look back.” She sighed, bright anger and frustration leaving her body. “I can't remember who I am or what I'm supposed to be. All I can do is start a new life, get my shit together, and figure things out. None of that involves you, Stinger, or anything remotely attached to the Prairie Devils MC.”
Alice turned. This time, I let her go, watching her skinny legs bobbing like a cat's.
She deserved a choice. I couldn't fault her for that.
Processing her crap in my head made me think about everything I'd done to lead me here. I thought about Linda's tragic end with Red, and how all this crazy shit screamed I was meant to be here, in this club, in with Tank.
I'd gone too far, too deep, to go anywhere else and live a different life. And once he was free and clear, I'd never imagine another life again.
I wanted to be his
old lady like nothing else, and I was going to be. Even if I had to suffer.
The next day, it was a full convoy riding to the prison. I went with Blaze and Saffron in the truck. They towed Tank's bike behind them, and I couldn't wait to be on it again, pressed up against his back while we drove home to the bash at the clubhouse.
I waited nervously by the prison gate. At two o'clock, the buzzer rang, and three men came out of the guard shack.
The two guards escorting him looked like children next to a giant. The man in the middle was my giant. God, he looked magnificent.
He was back in his jeans and cut, sporting full colors. All the brothers began to holler as soon as they saw him. Moose and his old lady, Connie, kicked up the most noise. Saffron reached for my hand and gave it a quick squeeze.
“This is it, Em. The moment you've been waiting for.”
Tank's eyes didn't go anywhere else as soon as he saw me. They locked on tight, stormy and strong as ever. Potent emotions surged, drilled deep, and then exploded like a bomb.
When he was through the gate, I ran the last few feet over the rugged pavement. He opened his arms right before I crashed against his chest.
I seriously wondered if I'd feel his embrace, or if he'd push me away, determined to shut me out forever. But no, they closed across my back, and then closed tighter. He pulled me off my feet and threw his lips against mine.
The guys went nuts, and so did the two old ladies. Crazy didn't begin to describe the shock tearing through me.
The fire, the fear, the giddy excitement just having him against me again...it was all here, roiled to perfection in the embrace where I belonged.
I broke the kiss, loving the way his rough taste lingered on my lips. “I was afraid you meant what you said behind the glass...”
“I did when I said it, Em. I was pissed off and determined to make sure you lived the good life. Couldn't think about anything else after I fucked up and did what I did. I killed that asshole, and I wanted to kill this too, anything to keep you away from me so you wouldn't waste your life on a caged animal.” He gave me a small smile. “But a man's got shit to do in the tank except think. I thought hard. I figured it out. I'm done fighting – don't care how fucked up or bleak things get. Babe, I couldn't give your sweet ass up and push you away if I tried. There's only one thing worth changing here: I got to get my damned head screwed on straight and stop jerking you around every time something goes to shit.”
I blinked. Then I burst into a great big grin, amazed he'd finally come to his senses. I was moving in for another kiss before he stopped me.
“Hold up. Need you to understand I'm not home free. If I can't help Blaze and the boys track down some shit to feed the Feds, then I'm gonna go right back in. Won't see you again for at least three years.”
Every time I thought about it was like a punch in the stomach. But I kept my gaze fused with his, lost in the beautiful moment nothing would ruin. I nodded.
“And if that happens, I'll be waiting. I'll come see you every single time they let me. I'll be right here, Tank, ready to be your old lady, ready to be claimed.”
“Then let's not waste another second. Whatever the fuck happens when my two weeks is up, I'm not gonna squander another day just calling you my lover. You're more, babe. So much fucking more.” He grabbed my wrists and tugged me forward, toward where the guys were waiting.
Blaze came up and slapped him on the back. “Goddamn, it's good to see you breathing this cool mountain air again. Come on, bro. We're gonna forget this fucking bullshit for one night and blow off some steam at the clubhouse. We can get to work on keeping you out of this shithole permanently tomorrow.”
“Just a second, Prez. Before we go home, I got something I need to say.”
Blaze's eyes narrowed. He looked to me, then to Tank. A slow, knowing smile spread across his face.
“Greedy bastard. You just can't wait another second, can you?” Blaze laughed.
Before me or Tank could say anything, he clapped his hands loudly and walked toward the gaggle of bikes and cars pulled up to the prison road. Blaze waved his hands, reaching out, encouraging all the brothers and their girls to approach.
“Get over here! Move your asses. Tank's got a speech to make before we hit the clubhouse and break into that Jack.”
It was strange to be the center of attention for this gruff looking crowd. Everybody was silent as they stared, all hard biker eyes and several glances from old ladies that weren't much softer. Saffron was practically beaming, biting her lip, silently pulling for me.
This is it. Sweet, sweet anticipation.
I looked at Tank. Suddenly, he whirled me around, throwing me against the huge slab of his chest. His strong shoulder bobbed against my ear as he spoke, rock hard muscle dancing to his words.
“Brothers and friends, you've all been damned good to me this year, sticking by my side whenever I was torn up on my ass or locked up here in the slammer. You know this club is my home and you're all family. That said, the girl I'm holding here and now has turned into even more, a special kinda family that cuts just as deep as the blood in this MC and the patch.”
The women suppressed their giddy laughter. There were a few snorts, brothers waiting with baited breath.
“As of today, Emma Galena is off fucking limits,” he growled. “She's mine, all mine, and only mine. You'll all be reminded soon enough, every goddamned day when she's wearing my brand. We don't have a fucking clue what's gonna go down the next couple weeks...”
I looked out to the crowd. All the gazes were so intense. Saffron and Connie's eyes had gone soft, happy, dreamy. Blaze's gaze was hard as ever, one hand tight around his old lady's waist. He nodded as Tank continued.
“Maybe I'll be right back here behind bars in a couple weeks. Maybe I won't. Whatever happens with me and the Feds doesn't got shit on what's going on with my old lady. She's mine no matter where the hell I am. Dead, imprisoned, or alive.” His chest rolled higher as he took in a big breath, hot and angry as hell. “You take good fucking care of her if I disappear. No bullshit. If I find out any man is circling her – brother or not – I'll dig my way out of this prison and split his fucking skull myself.
“Em and I have wasted too much fucking time to let anything else stand in the way. Right here, this day, I'm not wasting a precious second more. I'm taking this girl to the clubhouse, slamming the door to my room, and showing her what being claimed like this really means. We'll see you all for drinks in a few.”
Tank jerked me up. I squeaked in surprise. Now, I was in his arms, being cradled like a kitten.
Heat waves kept pulsing through my body. I was flushed blood red from hearing him pour his heart out in front of an audience, but it was nothing compared to the lightning zipping through my veins, the sheer need to feel him do everything he promised.
Brothers laughed, jeered, and clapped as he started forward. Blaze reached out and gave him another slap as he passed, carrying me like a caveman, a warrior, a badass. I saw a brief flash of Stinger, smiling a grin that put even Saffron's silly, happy smile to shame.
The empty spot next to him was telling. Alice was nowhere to be seen. I hoped Tank wasn't the only one who'd come to his senses soon.
A couple minutes later, I was on the back of his bike, holding on tight as the convoy got its drivers saddled up and took off. We rode in the biker column. No formation ranked by officers this time because Blaze and a Moose had their trucks.
I rubbed his rock hard belly a little after every mile. Being on the bike this time wasn't half as unnerving as the first. The cold was starting to bite, but being pressed up flat against him felt so good. I lost myself in his warmth and the engine's steady, peaceful rumble.
God, a solid week behind bars hadn't done anything to erase his scent. I leaned on him and inhaled deep. This man didn't need expensive cologne to smell good.
It was all him, an intoxicating blend of musk and leather, pure strength surrounding my brain through my nostrils. Tank
groaned several times at the stop lines closer to the clubhouse. Once, my hand brushed a little too low beneath his belt, grazing the ridge between his legs.
Steel lined his enormous length, thick and ready and so fucking hot. I had a mischievous feeling hobnobbing with the brothers and their old ladies was going to wait a good long while. Same as the drinks.
Who the hell needed to load up on beer and Jack when everything I needed was at my fingertips? Tank was a huge, sexy, tattooed addiction I'd be enjoying for the rest of my life.
We were the first ones inside. Tank helped me off his bike and we headed down the hall, straight to his room. He mentioned how he couldn't wait to get his own place after this latest shit storm was through.
“You've got a place at my house,” I said, lacing my fingers tighter through his.
He looked at me and grinned, shaking his head. “No, babe. You're gonna unload that piece of shit rental and move somewhere nicer with me one day. Don't think any of us are real interested in eating on that fucking kitchen table ever again after what went down there...let alone doing anything else there.”
I smiled at the wicked suggestion. And I needed to cling to that thought too, had to focus on the future instead of reliving that terrible night where he beat my asshole cousin to death on the tile floor.
The brothers were streaming into the bar, boisterous and full of dirty jokes. Their sounds formed a distant, happy clamor as we pushed our way inside his little room. He'd cleaned up good since our dark time apart.
The place still stank faintly of whiskey, but all the empty bottles were gone, leaving a spartan chamber that was all ours. Nothing but a dresser and a bed that was way too small to get in the way of us. Small or not, it would do.
I flashed him a coy smile and started to walk forward. I couldn't wait for him to see what I had on underneath my clothes, brand new lingerie I'd picked out the night before and thrown on this morning.
Before I could take another step toward the bed, Tank jerked back on my hand. I turned. We shared another fiery gaze for several long seconds before he threw his arms around me and twisted, spinning us across the room.