Marek (Knights Corruption MC #1)

by S. Nelson

  Another bout of silence passed before I heard her shift her phone to Sully.

  “Hello?” I knew she had the cell pressed to her ear because I could hear her breathing. I hadn’t meant to go off on her like that before, but my building jealousy had gotten the better of me, hurling unfounded accusations at her before I could reason with myself enough to calm down.

  “I’m not doing anything wrong,” she squeaked. I heard the tears in her voice and they instantly tore me apart. “I promise. He barely talks to me.”

  I believed her. It took me exploding, her fear, and then the sincerity in her voice to calm me down and realize I’d overreacted. I would never admit it, though. Not to anyone.

  I never apologized.

  Ever.

  Choosing to ignore her words, I switched topics. “I’ll be longer than I thought.” I sighed, running my fingers over my face in utter frustration. “I’ll call you in a couple more days and let you know.” Stone came strolling out from the other room, a pissed-off look on his face, one I knew wasn’t because of me, but instead because of the person he’d been talking to. Or the one who’d been shouting at him, to be more accurate.

  “Okay. Did . . . Did you want to talk to Jagger again?”

  “Yes.” Short and sweet.

  “I swear, Prez, I’m not doing nuthin’ to her. I’m just watchin’ over her like you told me to do,” he started in, his words coming so fast I almost didn’t understand him.

  “Calm down. We’ll be gone longer than anticipated. I’ll call you soon when I know exactly when. And Jagger?” I waited for his acknowledgment. “Don’t make me regret my decision to leave you at the house.”

  “You won’t. I promise.”

  I hung up before he could say anything else.

  I’d been staring down at the phone and hadn’t realized Stone was scowling at me from across the room. I was too consumed with all the new feelings eating at me to pay much attention to anything else. Wrapped up in not only the image of Sully, but in what I’d just done to her, I clenched my jaw and fisted my hands. I was pissed at myself, but what was done was done.

  “What was all that, Marek? Have you gone off the deep end?” My VP’s voice startled me, and when I finally picked my head up to look at him, I saw true concern etched deep into every line of his face.

  I was normally a pretty laid-back guy. Well . . . as laid-back as I could be running an entire MC. I wasn’t known for blowing up at the drop of a hat, or acting irrational for no reason at all.

  I wasn’t sure if it was that Sully distracted me from my main goal, which was to remain unattached and focused solely on the club. Or if it was because she now belonged to me and another man being in her company, all alone, wasn’t sitting right with me. Even if they weren’t doing anything wrong.

  But I’d been the one to make the decision to have Jagger watch over her in my absence, so I had to deal with the consequences. Like it or not.

  “Nothin’,” I promised. “All good.” I thought if I tried to smile right then, he might’ve had me committed. Instead, I switched the subject. “Where we at with meeting with Carrillo?”

  “I was gonna tell you before you went nuclear a few minutes ago, but he isn’t coming. Some shit about too much heat and not being able to get away. Instead, he’s sending his second in command, Yanez. He said we could finish things through him.”

  Rico Yanez was a lecherous man. No morals of any kind. Almost worse than the Reapers. Almost. I didn’t like or trust him, but if he was who we had to deal with then so be it. The quicker we came to an agreement, the better.

  Shrugging, Stone leaned against the wall opposite me. Tired and weary, the past couple days’ events looked to have taken a toll on my dear friend. He had something going on with Adelaide, no matter how much he denied it. Then there was the added dangerous element of finalizing our end with Los Zappas cartel. Even though the head honcho, Rafael Carrillo, had given me his word he would release the KC from smuggling in and selling their product, there was always the chance he would go back on it, although I seriously doubted it.

  He was a man who hated to be indebted to another, and it was exactly what he was to me. Not that I held it over him or anything, but I would use the opportunity to get what I needed, exploit the fact that I’d saved his life.

  On a drug run last year, we were intercepted by a rival cartel. Gunfire thickened the air around us and we scarcely made it out alive. Rafael’s men ran for cover, and he found himself without shelter. The look in his eyes reflected that he was prepared to die, although there was still hope underneath he would make it home to his wife and three kids that night.

  I knew if I wanted to extract my club entirely from their grips, I had to make my move.

  Save him from meeting his maker too soon.

  If I knew anything about the man who hovered between life and death, it was his undying need to not owe anyone anything, and my saving his life would prompt him to do something in return.

  My gesture paid off. In exchange for saving him, he agreed to let my club walk away, but only after they’d found another one to take our place. He’d also agreed to cut all ties with the Savage Reapers, crippling them and cutting their legs out from beneath them.

  But still, nothing was guaranteed until I heard the head of Los Zappas cartel tell me we were no longer in business with them.

  “Well, when are we meetin’ him then?”

  “Tomorrow,” he answered, walking toward the door and circling the handle with his fingers. “But tonight, we relax and have a good time. Right?” he shouted over his shoulder, pulling the door open and heading toward the common room.

  We were staying at our Laredo charter. The guys there were most accommodating, pulling together a last-minute ruckus. Not that it was a problem by any means—any chance to overindulge in alcohol and pussy was certainly a most welcome event.

  Later that evening, when I’d buried myself inside some woman whose name I never asked, I tried my best to push aside all thoughts of the woman waiting for me back home.

  But it was useless.

  With every thrust and moan, I imagined it was her I had pushed against the wall, my hand wrapped around her throat while I fucked her from behind. I envisioned it was her pussy clenching down on my cock as she rode out her orgasm.

  Sully was the woman I pictured writhing in front of me, and it was the only thought in the past few days which helped soothe the rising inferno inside me.

  Sully

  Still trembling from Marek’s accusations, I excused myself from the room, quietly disappearing inside the bedroom I’d been staying in.

  His bedroom.

  Everywhere I looked, I was reminded of the man who’d forced me to marry him. His clothes hung in the closet, no order to the wardrobe whatsoever. His shoes littered the floor of the small space, strewn about as if he’d literally kicked them off his feet and left them wherever they fell. Crumpled receipts, along with a few watches and old Harley magazines covered the top of his dresser. Dirty laundry was piled up in the corner of his bathroom, even though an actual hamper stood right next to them. His beard trimmer, razors, and brushes littered the top of the small sink, and it was all I could do to take a deep breath and breathe through my anxiety.

  Because of the way I preferred things, I began to tidy his room. All the clutter and mess didn’t sit well with me. I tried to ignore it my first two nights, but since he’d told me he wouldn’t be back anytime soon, there was no way I could continue to stay in a room so out of sorts.

  A tidy room made me feel as if I had control over some aspect of my life. It gave me a sense of solace, no matter how false it may have been.

  I didn’t want to, but I couldn’t help remembering our phone conversation, word for word. Every accusation he’d flung at me tore away a little bit more of my soul. I didn’t trust the man, but he’d given me a sense of safety I’d never had before, only to rip it away with every word he spewed down the line. What the hell are you doing with J
agger? You lettin’ him fuck you, Sully? Don’t think for one second that I won’t punish you both for going behind my motherfucking back! You think just because I’m not there I wouldn’t find out? Huh?

  I should have expected he was going to show his true colors sooner or later—apparently, it had been sooner. I was a fool to think he was any better than Vex or my father, but the way he’d looked at me, the way he’d tried to comfort me when I’d woken up screaming from my nightmares . . . It was all a façade.

  Actually, he was worse than the men in my life because at least with them, I knew what I was in for. I knew exactly what they would do and say. But with Marek, I simply had no idea.

  Finishing up the mess in the closet, I closed the door to the small space and headed toward the bathroom, but a soft rap on the bedroom door stopped me in my tracks.

  “Sully,” Adelaide called out. “Are you okay? Can I come in?”

  I never answered, instead pulling the door open and giving her a faltering smile. I couldn’t hide the hurt from my face or from my voice, even though I tried. The last thing I wanted to do was bring her into the mix of what was going on. I had no idea if she would be punished simply for interfering.

  Crossing the room to sit on the edge of the bed, she leaned back on her hands and gazed at me, waiting to see if I would speak first. But I let her take the lead, as I did with most people.

  “I’m so sorry for what he said to you, Sully.” Her eyes pitied me, and I hated that she felt that way toward me. “Marek is usually pretty easygoing, all things considered. I’m not sure what’s up his ass, but please don’t take it personally,” she pleaded.

  “How do you know what he said to me?” I wasn’t used to people interfering on my behalf or conversing with me about things which happened to me. My tone was more curt than I’d intended, but I didn’t think she took any offense to it.

  “I got the gist of it when I threatened Jagger.”

  “With your uncle again?” A small smile curved my mouth, mimicking her reaction.

  “You know it. I can use that man as a threat any time I want to get my way.” She laughed, pushing her hair behind her shoulder, continuing to hold my gaze until she knew I was okay.

  “Don’t pay him any mind. Seriously. Don’t worry about it.” Situating herself so she was sitting with her legs tucked underneath her, she continued to try and persuade me to talk. “What did he say when he called you on my phone?”

  Playing with my hands in nervousness, I stood in front of her, not quite sure what I was allowed to reveal about my conversations with him, no matter how insignificant. I’d never had anyone to confide in before, and although it was an amazing feeling, it was also a bit frightening. I still wasn’t quite sure who I could trust yet.

  Patting the bed beside her, she widened her smile and put me at ease. Climbing next to her, I mirrored her and tucked my own legs under me, resting my hands on my thighs while I spoke. “He just told me he was going to be longer than expected and would call me in a couple days.”

  “Yeah, Stone told me that too.”

  Before I could filter myself, I blurted, “Are you and Stone together?”

  Her eyes widened, her words suddenly caught in her throat. She appeared to be hiding something and wasn’t sure if she should tell me the truth, probably not trusting me completely, much like I acted toward her.

  But something inside her forced her to give me tidbits of information. “Can you keep a secret? And I mean from everyone, even Marek?” She looked pensive, but because I so wanted to know a private detail of someone else’s life, I readily agreed. And meant every nod.

  “Yes, I promise.”

  “We’re not together together, but we’ve fooled around before. And, even though I really like him, we can’t be together.” Her expression turned, her sudden unhappiness pressing her lips into a frown while casting its veil over her eyes.

  My intrigue forced me closer, all while continuing to give her the personal space she needed. “Why not?”

  “It’s complicated really.” She hesitated for a brief moment before continuing. “I’m not part of your . . . their lifestyle, nor do I want to be. I love my uncle dearly, but I never wanted to grow up around what they do, how they ultimately handle themselves and their lives. And he didn’t want that for me either. I’m more than happy to come by and help out when I can, like with Tripp, but other than that, I don’t really want to be associated with the club. And Stone knows that.” She looked dejected, as if she was reminded of a specific conversation she’d had with him.

  “Would he ever leave the club? For you?” I knew I sounded like a twit, fantasizing and romanticizing her and Stone’s complicated relationship, but I couldn’t help myself. I’d read my share of romance novels and in those books, the main characters always found a way to work it out, their love conquering everything and all that happy stuff.

  Looking at me as if I’d lost my mind, she shook her head and crushed my idiotic thoughts. “He grew up in this club, just like most of the men. He loves the KC, the men are his family. He’ll never leave them for me, and I don’t think I even want him to. He’d resent me if I made him make that choice.” Throwing her head back so she was looking at the ceiling, she continued telling me her innermost secrets as she relaxed in my presence. “He keeps calling me, showing up at the hospital and begging me to be with him. Some days, I think I can be with him fully, give him what he wants . . . what I want, but then shit happens, like with Tripp, and I put that wall back up to protect myself. It kills me when I look at him, knowing he’ll never truly be mine.”

  I was surprised when a lone tear streaked down her cheek, her thumb quickly brushing it away before her emotions became too much for her. She smiled lazily and straightened up on the bed. “Don’t mind me, Sully. I think I’m getting my period.” She laughed, the air of seriousness suddenly disappearing.

  “Well, I think if you really want to be together, you’ll find a way which will suit both of you. But from what I hear, your uncle won’t be too pleased.” I’d witnessed an encounter between Trigger and Stone, and even I was scared of the older man.

  “Yeah, there’s that too,” she grimaced.

  We finished our conversation and were about to move off the bed when Jagger came crashing into the room, stumbling over his feet and instantly putting us on alert. His dark golden hair stuck up in a few spots, his amber eyes wide in fright while he gave us time to collect ourselves.

  “What the hell, Jagger? Where’s the fire?” Adelaide threw at him.

  “Funny you should ask,” he rushed. “It’s downstairs.” If what had come out of his mouth hadn’t been so serious, I would have laughed at the frenzied look on his face.

  “Oh, shit!” she exclaimed. “My food.” Scrambling off the bed, we all ran downstairs to assess the damage. Luckily, it was only smoke, but whatever Adelaide had been making was burnt to a crisp.

  “Looks like pizza it is,” Jagger announced, the two of them busting out into laughter while I stifled my amusement as best I could, a tiny sound escaping my lips to add to the surprise of the free-falling emotions.

  Marek

  “Are you sure this will be our last shipment,” Stone asked, nervously shoving his messy hair off his face. The guy was pacing, mumbling to himself and making me tense just watching him.

  “Yeah, Rafael gave me his word that after this next pickup, he’s shifting his supply to the club in Vegas he’s slowly been using, testing them for the past year to ensure they’re the right fit.” I was as nervous as my VP, but I played my concerns off as mere agitation, trying like hell to calm the air around us.

  Stopping mid-stride, he hit me with yet another question. “Why do you really think he sent that asshole to meet with us then, instead of coming himself?”

  “Not sure. I guess we’ll find out soon enough.” Rico Yanez called five minutes ago to let us know he would be arriving shortly. Normally, we didn’t have meetings with anyone from Los Zappas cartel on club grounds, b
ut there was too much heat on them nowadays to be seen out in public places meeting with the likes of two bikers. The three of us together would look way too suspicious. After making sure he wasn’t being tailed, he’d arrive at the compound and disappear between the concealing metal gates.

  Leaning forward with my arms resting on my thighs, a small bead of sweat gathered on my brow. The meeting Stone and I were about to have was of the utmost importance, our futures being decided in the next half hour.

  Were we still gonna be in bed with the cartel, unwillingly going along with constantly risking not only prison, but death as well?

  Or were we finally gonna be able to breathe the fresh air of legitimacy for the first time in over six decades? Having been on the wrong side of the law for at least that long.

  We realized that, if we were indeed free after this last run, there would be initial blowback from our enemy. But once some time had passed and they were no longer strong enough to be a threat, we could start to really enjoy our lives.

  Shit, I didn’t even know what that would feel like.

  A loud rapping on the Chambers door tore both Stone and me from our anxiousness. “He’s here, Marek!” Salzer yelled from the hallway. He was one of the original members of the Laredo charter, old as hell with a mean streak to boot. If someone found themselves on his shit list, look out. His physical appearance was deceiving. A full head of white hair, a clean-shaven face and a dimple in his left cheek made him seem like someone’s sweet old grandpa, though he was anything but. Most overlooked his temper because he was loyal as hell, willing to take a bullet for any one of his fellow brothers, home and charters alike. It didn’t matter. And no one could ask for better than that.

  My VP and I walked out toward the front entrance of the clubhouse just as Yanez and another man were ushered inside. It didn’t surprise me one bit that he’d brought someone along with him, since I probably would have done the same thing had the roles been reversed. In our world, you couldn’t trust a lot of people, especially virtual strangers.