Ember's Burn: A Steel Demons MC Novel

by Annelise Reynolds

  I listened as Abby laid out a plan about someone named Piper and her son Declan. ‘Who?’ my confused mind asked. Then Titan’s voice broke in again, “We’ll get Hack to look into her first before we decide to let her room with McKenzie.”

  “She’s a nice person. I agree she’s hiding from something, but it can’t be any worse than what we were hiding from.”

  “That’s exactly my point,” Titan barked at Abby, the frustration ringing clearly in his voice. “McKenzie has been through enough because we couldn’t protect you from an unknown enemy. I don’t want history repeating itself, dammit. She died on that operating table several times already. They were lucky to bring her back each time. We can’t risk that shit again. She might not make it out alive next time.” My heart ached at his words. It sounded like he really cared, but the past, the past had taught me never to trust a man by what he says. Their actions had told me they weren’t to be trusted, period. Nobody knew how much I was really hiding. Nobody could know.

  “Who’s Piper?” I said softly. My throat was still sore, but not as bad as earlier.

  “Mac,” Abby said, rushing to my side, tears and emotion clogging her voice as she pushed my hair away from my face. “You’re awake. Finally.”

  “How long have I been out?” I asked. I tried to move and hissed at the pain in my ribs. What the fuck?

  “Easy there.” Titan came to my side and hit the button to bring the head of the bed up. “Tell me when to stop.” He brought my head up just a bit, and I let him know to stop before it got uncomfortable.

  “Tell me everything.” I watched as the three looked at each other. Trying to figure out what to tell me. “Come on. I’m a big girl. I can handle it. What happened?”

  “You’ve been in a coma for two weeks,” Abby started.

  She filled me in on a little of what had happened in the two weeks I had been out. She also filled me in on what she had been doing with the business. “So, why is Piper staying with me? Where are you staying?”

  “She’s not staying yet,” Titan grumbled. I looked at him, then rolled my eyes. The action hurt like a bitch, but I tried not to let it show.

  “I’m staying with Grit at his place.” Her cheeks turned pink. “I figured you wouldn’t want to be around us all the time when we can’t-”

  “I get the picture.” I cut her off, maybe a little too abruptly, as a twinge of jealousy for my friend’s happiness hit me. “So how did you find Piper?”

  “Legend found her,” Titan spoke up.

  “How did Legend find her?”

  “She and her son were on the side of the road. Her car broke down and he brought them into town.”

  “Why are you having Hack look into her?” I directed my question toward Titan. He raised his brow, knowing I had been awake far longer than I let on.

  “She’s hiding from something, we all know it. But like you two, she’s hiding whatever it is. I don’t want this kind of thing happening again, so we are looking into her.”

  “Are you sure her name is even Piper?”

  “Yes. Her license is real. She had to put it on file at the restaurant,” Abby said. “Mac-”

  “Ember,” I corrected her. “Call me Ember.” I didn’t want to be McKenzie or Mac anymore. McKenzie was damaged, always ended up someone’s pawn, and hurt. Ember was new, she had no past, and I could build and shape her future. McKenzie was dead, and Ember was going to burn.

  I heard McKenzie’s comment about calling her Ember instead of McKenzie, and it felt off. I couldn’t put my finger on why exactly, but I trust my instincts and everything in me said that there was something going on in her head that wasn’t right. I looked over at Grit and the look he gave me said he was getting the same vibes from her that I was.

  I notched my head toward the door to have him follow me and leave the girls behind to talk. “Red flags going up for you too?”

  “Yeah brother, we should be concerned.”

  “Call Legend now. I want as much information as you can get on Piper. Having a woman and kid around may help. I’m also calling my mother. She’s moving here whether she wants to or not, at least for the foreseeable future. She can look out for McKenzie during the day while she watches Piper’s son if it checks out. We can pay her out of the club’s money, so she can still have her independence.”

  “Why not you?”

  I looked at him pointedly. “Because I’m not sure I could keep my hands off her, and she needs time to heal, in more ways than just physically.”

  Grit nodded his head. “Do you think your mom will move here?”

  “Yeah, I think she will.”

  Grit walked off to call Legend and I called Mom at Abby’s house. “Well, this is a surprise. I normally have to call you.”

  “I need your help, Mom.” I never asked for help. I hated asking for it now, but I had no choice. McKenzie needed her and if Piper checked out, which I had a feeling she would, she would need her too.

  “What is it?”

  “McKenzie.” I explained to her that she would need help. That she was still in bad shape after everything, and that’s not including the trauma of what she went through. “Can you stay here, Ma? I’m asking you. Can you move to Belle? She may need you, and I need you to be with her when I can’t.”

  “I can’t move here permanently, but I can stay for a while to help you and McKenzie out. I can and will do that for you, honey. She… she means something to you, doesn’t she?”

  “Yeah, Ma. She means everything.”

  They kept her a few more days. The doctors wanted to run a few more tests to make sure her body was on the mend, and they wanted her to eat and use her muscles before leaving. In those few days, she had told anyone who had come to see her to call her Ember. I clenched my teeth each time she demanded that I do so.

  I’d give her time, but she was McKenzie and I wasn’t about to let her forget it. We had been at each other’s throats since she woke up. Most of the arguing started over my unwillingness to leave her side and her insistence on being called Ember.

  “I’m not calling you Ember, sweetheart. You might as well get over that shit right now.”

  “Don’t call me sweetheart, either.” Her arms crossed over her chest like a petulant child. “You can leave, Titan. I don’t need you to babysit me. That’s what the nurses are here for.”

  “McKenzie, get this through that beautiful, stubborn skull of yours. I’m not leaving and I sure as hell am not calling you Ember again. I haven’t called you Ember since I first found out your real name, unless we were in public, and take notice darlin’, there is no public here but us. Now, it’s your turn to choose what to watch.” I handed her the remote and watched her settle on a romantic comedy. I figured it was coming, most women liked these cheesy movies, but when I looked over at her, I could barely contain my laughter. She chose the movie to torture me, but she was the one that looked like she was in pain.

  I watched her from the corner of my eye, and the amount of times she rolled her eyes or muttered the word ‘stupid’ under her breath just added to the entertainment for me. I didn’t give a rat’s ass about the movie, but her reactions to it were fucking hilarious. I barely paid attention to the movie. It was about halfway through that she fell asleep again. The bruises on her face were still violently evident, but she was healing, slowly.

  My phone vibrated in my pocket, pulling me away from my musings of her. I answered, “Talk to me, Hack.”

  “Has Gavel called you yet?”

  “No, what’s going on?”

  “We’ve got a problem that could come back on your girl.”

  Fuck. I knew it. “What did you find out about Piper?”

  “She’s not why I’m calling, but she and the kid are on the run from her ex. From what I can tell she has been hospitalized many times for what was suspected domestic violence, but she never pressed charges on the bastard. Other than that, I can’t find anything. She’s clear enough
.”

  “Good, so why did you call then? What’s the problem?” The phone beeped and Gavel’s name showed. “Hold up, Gavel is calling me. Can I call you back?”

  “Don’t worry about it. He’s probably calling to tell you about what I just sent him. Take care of her, Titan. She’s going to need it before this is all over.” With that declaration from Hack, a rock sank in my stomach.

  “What’s going on?” I barked after I switched over from Hack’s call.

  “I had Hack looking into what is going on with Abby’s mom. She’s trying to cut a deal.”

  “Fuck no, not after everything she did to McKenzie, let alone her own daughter.” I barely managed to keep my voice low. It was total bullshit, all of it. Michelle Price was not getting out of jail, and the corrupt politician’s days were numbered along with his son’s. “That bitch isn’t going anywhere but to prison for life. If she gets out, I’ll take care of her myself.”

  “I know. I figured you would. If Richards finds out she’s trying to get a deal in exchange for information, I guarantee you he will become a problem. He’s got too much to lose to allow Price to bring him down, but the biggest factor is he can’t do anything without testimony from McKenzie. Unless she has actual physical proof, it’s just hearsay. They will come for McKenzie’s testimony, Titan, if this happens-” His voice trailed off, the silence speaking for itself. “Stick to her, Titan.”

  I mumbled a reply and hung up to call Abby. It was time to make sure everything was in place. The girls needed to be watched.

  “Hey Titan.” There was music in the background, so she was most likely at the bar getting everything ready for the party she started to organize the moment McKenzie woke up.

  “Hey darlin’, I’m going to need a favor from you.”

  “What’s going on?”

  “I need Chink to take up residence in your bar for a while. He can work the bar or the door. I don’t care. He just needs to be in the building whenever McKenzie is there.”

  “What’s going on?” I could hear a hint of hesitation and a lot of worry in her voice.

  “Put Grit on the phone, hon. I’ll let him tell you. Just know that I’m going to take care of everything, Phoenix. Grit and I will take care of it all, so try not to worry.”

  The phone changed hands. Grit came on the line. “Yeah?”

  I told Grit everything I had just found out from Hack and Gavel. His reaction was much like my own. “Over my dead body is that woman getting out of jail.”

  “I know, but honestly she’s not the one I’m worrying about at this point. Richards could cause more of an issue. Price has no money. She’s broke, and she has no one to turn to for help. Richards and his son have money and connections – most of which we probably don’t even know about. He’s my main concern, but should she get out, we’ll take care of her.”

  “So what’s the plan?” Grit asked me. This was club business, my woman, and my responsibility. It’s what I wanted, what I knew would happen when Stone asked me to head the Belle chapter. Grit may be my boss in my career, but this was my club.

  “Gavel is connected to the legal world. I have him watching Price. Hack is already watching the senator and his son. Chink is going to take up residence in the bar so he’s always close at hand. If he knew how to cook anything but chili, I’d say throw him in the kitchen, but he would burn water. She’s never alone. Make sure someone is always with Phoenix, too. Neither one of them needs to be hurt again. I will kill any motherfucker who touches them again.”

  “Agreed.”

  “I’ll let you decide what you want to tell Phoenix.” I hung up with Grit and looked at the sleeping woman in the bed. She was going home tomorrow. She didn’t know it yet, but she was going to be having a few roommates. The kid was cute, the mom was nice, and my mom would look after them all. When I wasn’t around, Chink was going to be. He was going to be stuck to her like glue when I couldn’t be. Now, I needed to focus on one thing and one thing alone… Revenge.

  “Just take me home. I don’t want to go to the bar.”

  “You’re going.”

  “Damnit, Titan, I don’t want to go where a bunch of people are going to look at me and ask me questions I can’t or won’t answer. Take me the hell home.”

  “Not happening, McKenzie. Phoenix planned this welcome home party for you, and I’m not going to let you pull into yourself any more than you already have.”

  “Don’t fucking call me McKenzie! I’m Ember.”

  He was so fucking irritating. He didn’t listen to a word I said. I didn’t want to go to the bar. Hell, I didn’t want to have a welcome back party. I just wanted to go the fuck home, lock myself in my room and go to sleep.

  “Sorry, babe, you are McKenzie. I’m not going to call you Ember unless we’re in public. Alone, or with the Demons, I will call you by your name. Get used to it,” He growled at me.

  “Look, McKenzie,” he emphasized my name to get on my nerves I’m sure, and it worked. “Phoenix organized this party for you. She loves you, and I know you don’t want to let her down. Show up for a little bit, visit with Phoenix, meet the new members of your staff, say hi to some of the club members, and then you can come get me to take you home. Ok?”

  Dammit… I didn’t want to see members of the club, especially the women. Seeing Titan with those two women bothered me more than I would ever admit to anyone. I was relieved when the text had come in, which is probably why I didn’t question the damn text at all. We found out that someone had hacked Abby’s phone, and sent me a message to meet her at the bar, alone. The message said that Grit dumped her because she called her father. I knew the message sounded off, but I thought maybe it was just because she was upset. I’d seen the way she looked at him from the beginning. It was the same way he looked at her, complete fascination and desire etched into every fiber of their being.

  “I don’t have a fucking choice, do I?” I muttered at him. Truthfully, when he had mentioned Phoenix throwing the party and it hurting her feelings if I didn’t show, I had been swayed. I would never do anything to hurt her. If it meant going to a get-together to celebrate my hospital release, then so be it. I would go and try to smile in the process even if it hurt every time I did.

  We pulled up in front of the bar. The parking lot to the side and behind it were full. I wanted to run, but I didn’t have the energy to. Shit, I love her, and I know she means well and has the best of intentions, but I am not ready for this at all. I’m still bruised and sore.

  “A few minutes, McKenzie. I know you need to get home, but you should go in for a few minutes because your best friend has been going through hell these last two weeks trying to get everything settled for you. Plus, I have someone you need to meet.”

  Someone he wanted me to meet? Who? “Only a few minutes, you promise to take me home the minute I say?”

  “Yeah, I promise.”

  When I walked in, everybody looked toward the door. God, there were so many people, and they all knew. They all knew what had happened to me, and they could see some of what happened just by looking at me. Ink came forward and pulled me into a gentle hug. He whispered into my ear, “If you need to talk, I’m here, baby girl.” I nodded, fighting back the tears. This guy really was an amazing man. He saw through everything right from the start, like Dotty did all those years ago.

  That day Titan walked in on me hugging him, Ink had told me a little of his past. He could understand the hell I had been through because he had been through hell himself. His tattoos told his story, right on his skin for anyone to see, if they just took the opportunity to read the messages in the colorful ink. Ghosts of his past haunted him, just as my ghosts haunted me.

  “Hey, Ember,.” Philip greeted me. “You look like shit, honey, and even when you look like shit, you are still beautiful. Only you could pull off the look of a patchwork quilt and have it look stunning.”

  Philip hugged me and Titan moved closer to my side. I shook my
head at his ridiculousness, but at the same time, I found it oddly romantic. Shit. What the fuck is wrong with me? There is no way I need to be thinking of Titan in any way, but especially not in a sweet, protective, romantic way. He deserves so much better than me and what I can give him.

  Shit. It was a mistake to come here. I started feeling suffocated as people started moving forward to welcome me back. My chest felt tight, and I started gasping for breath, which hurt from my recent injuries. I tried to back up to go back out the door, but Titan wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me through the building. When we got to the stairs he swept me into his arms and took me upstairs. I rested my head on his shoulder and tried to catch my breath as the panic attack receded.

  I looked over his shoulder and saw Abby and Ink were following behind us, along with Grit. An older lady with a mix of gray and blonde hair was following behind them with Gavel behind her, his arm still in a sling. I shook my head. It was too much.

  “I just wanted to go home,” I whispered to Titan as he carried me to the apartment upstairs.

  “I know baby, I’m sorry.” The apartment upstairs had been finished, and it looked as though someone had been staying up here. “Philip,” Titan said, answering my unasked question. Apparently, the billionaire was staying above the bar, which was comical.

  “Don’t call me baby.” Damn him. Baby, sweetheart, and McKenzie. The man called me everything but what I wanted to be called. Jerk.

  “Fuss all you want, McKenzie, it’s kind of cute actually, but I’m not calling you Ember.” I would have rolled my eyes, but they were still bruised and partially swollen, so it would have hurt.

  He put me down on the couch, then left to get me water. Phoenix came to my side and hugged me. “I should have put this off a few weeks, but I was so excited to have you coming home.” Her voice was thick with emotion.