“Merlin’s coming too,” Whisper says after shaking both our hands.
We don’t bother with small talk. Merlin shows up, and Wrath leads us back down to where we held the wedding. There’s lots of stone benches and a wide stone altar to use as a table if we need it.
It’s also out of the way in case we need to hide a body for a couple hours.
Wrath leads us down to the table and takes up a position behind it. I stand to his right. Whisper’s across from me and Merlin’s across from Wrath. Tonight, I’m basically acting as SAA, here to watch Wrath’s back.
My brother plays it the way he always does. Quiet. He stands and crosses his arms over his chest, staring Merlin down, but not saying anything. It’s a tactic I’ve seen him use many times.
It always works.
“Are we cool?” Merlin asks after a few uncomfortable seconds pass.
Wrath’s expression doesn’t change. “You tell me.”
Merlin slips his hand inside his cut and my hand twitches toward my right hip. The movement’s subtle. Neither of them notice. Wrath catches my eye and gives me the briefest nod.
All Merlin pulls out is a thick envelope. “Ulfric’s retiring. I’m taking over as president. The club voted to give this to Rock. You know, help cover some of his troubles. And thank you for keeping quiet.”
Wrath snaps the envelope out of Merlin’s hand. “We don’t snitch.”
“I know. Didn’t mean any disrespect.” Merlin hesitates and glances at Whisper, then back at Wrath. “So, we’re good?”
“Yeah. Where’d Ulfric retire to?”
“He’s still alive, if that’s what you’re asking,” Whisper answers. “He moved down to South Carolina to be near some family.”
He may have gotten careless in his old age, but Ulfric has always been a decent guy, so that’s good news.
We discuss a few more minor issues. As instructed by Rock this morning in church, Wrath never mentions any of the changes going on in Ironworks. The Wolf Knights seem to have no clue that we’ve teamed up with the Green Street Crew to dismantle the Vipers MC and take over their territory. There was a time when we would have called on Ulfric to help us out and split the territory with them. But the Wolf Knights have proved to be unreliable in a few recent matters. I wonder if this will impact Wrath’s relationship with Whisper in the future. As far as I know, they’ve always kept the gym they own separate from club business. It’s really none of my business, so I push the thought out of my head.
On our way back, I’m struck by the view of the party from the distance. “Trin did a really nice job on all this.”
Wrath turns and grins at me. “Good practice for the next one.”
I’m so stuck in my own head and my own issues that at first I assume he means Heidi and Axel. It takes a second to realize he means Trinity and him. “Yeah? That happening?”
He’s not even annoyed by the question. “Fuck yeah, it is.” Before we walk back into the tent, he stops me with a hand on my arm. “I know you got Serena here, but I still have business to take care of. Will you look out for Trin?” He tilts his head at Sway and his crew. I don’t need any more information from Wrath.
“You know it.”
Rock catches my eye and raises his eyebrow. The expression has the same effect on me it did when I was twelve. I’ve never feared Rock, but I never want to disappoint him either. Next to me, Wrath snickers. “Here,” he says, pulling the envelope Whisper gave him out of his pocket. “I’ll let you take care of this.”
“Gee, thanks.”
After stopping by to check on Serena, I make my way up front. I hate like hell that I’m intruding because now our prez and first lady are busy making fuck-me eyes at each other. Jesus Christ.
I clear my throat and drop into the chair on Rock’s other side. Rock’s all business as he turns and meets my eyes. I lean in and lower my voice. “All taken care of. Ulfric’s enjoying retirement down south and Merlin took his place at the head of the table.”
Prez rolls his eyes. “Great. He’s about as sharp as a tire.”
“They didn’t even ask about Ironworks,” I say, lowering my voice even more.
“Good. Not their concern.”
I slip the envelope out of my cut and hand it over to Rock. He takes a quick peek inside and passes it back to me. “That’s for you,” I protest. “From Merlin. For the trouble—”
“Whole club went through hell,” Rock states with a bland expression.
“You were in jail.” My whisper comes out a little harsher than I meant it to, but Rock’s not offended.
The corner of his mouth quirks up. “I’m aware.” He searches the crowd but doesn’t seem to find who he wants. “Have Teller put it in the safe. We’ll deal with it tomorrow,” he orders not leaving any room for discussion.
That’s Rock, though. He had three months of his life stolen, but his first concern is still the club…our family. Never himself. My gaze flicks to Hope. At least now Rock has someone to take care of him for a change.
My chest squeezes as Heidi sneaks up behind Hope and hugs her. They talk for a while. Nothing I’m able to overhear. Not until the end, when she announces she’s leaving to go for a ride with Axel. I restrain myself. What am I supposed to do—cause a scene? Not with Rock smirking at me like he knows exactly what’s going on in my head.
Heidi eventually stands, leaving Hope’s side and hugs Rock. “Congratulations, Uncle Rock. Thank you…thank you for everything,” she says so low, I almost can’t hear her.
“Love you, Heidi-girl.”
Her eyes tear up, but she kisses his cheek. Her gaze briefly meets mine and before she leaves she gives me a sad smile that I’m not sure how to interpret.
* * *
FROM YEARS of visiting my brother at the clubhouse, I know my way around the woods fairly well. Well enough, that I know when Axel takes my hand and leads me out of the tent, we’re not headed to the clubhouse.
“What are you doing?”
“I want to be alone with you and I know we’ll be bothered at the clubhouse.”
My mouth tugs into a smile, and I let him lead me into the trees. Abruptly he stops and pulls me against him. It’s so dark, I can barely see. But I feel the heat of him against me. Feel his mouth brush against my forehead.
“Thought you wanted to go for a ride?” I ask softly.
“Oh, I want to give you a ride.”
Laughter spills out of me, and I poke him in the side, wiggling my fingers until he laughs. “Come on. I want to change. I don’t want to ruin my dress. And I’m uncomfortable.”
He sighs and takes my hand, this time leading us to the clubhouse.
Outside we find my brother and Mariella, sitting so close, they’re touching from shoulder to leg. “Aww,” I mutter under my breath. I really like Mariella. I think she’s good for my brother. I can’t tell if they’re friends or something more, but she’s sweet and quiet. She seems to have calmed him somewhat in the short time she’s been here. She’s certainly diverted his attention from hovering over me so much, which I’m grateful for.
“Hi, Marcel,” I call out. Next to me, Axel groans, but I ignore him and run over to hug my brother.
“Where you headed, baby sis?” he asks, keeping his arm around my waist.
“Upstairs. I want to change, and then we’re going to go for a ride.” I tense, waiting for my brother to say no fucking way or something equally big-brotherly-obnoxious.
His jaw tightens, but he nods. Looking past me, he fixes his scary big-brother face on Axel. “Take it easy with her on the back of your bike.”
“Of course, I will,” Axel answers respectfully, then adds, “I always do,” a little less respectfully. Marcel drills him with a stare and Axel fidgets.
Exasperated, I grab Axel’s hand, dragging him away. “Come on.”
Safely inside my room, I flip the lock just in case my brother decides to check up on us. Axel takes it differently, pressing his body against my back until my che
ek’s resting against the door. “What are you doing?” I ask.
Warm breath skates over my shoulders, then rough fingers trace down my back. “Helping you out of your dress.”
“Oh,” soft laughter flows out of me, then a shiver as he pulls his weight away. His hands find my zipper, tugging it down. The dress falls at my feet, and I lean over to pick it up.
“Heidi,” Axel says in a low, rough voice that makes my insides dance.
Voices from downstairs reach us and my body tenses. While the brothers treat the clubhouse as their own personal sex club, for Axel and I to fool around here is playing with fire. Anyone who overhears us is likely to go tattle to my brother. “Not here, Axel.”
He groans. “You always gonna be his slave?”
Confused I turn and face him. “Who?”
“You know who.”
“God, not this again,” I snap, pushing past him to hang the dress up in my closet. I grab a pair of folded up jeans, flick them open and hop into them. I’m so tired of fighting about my friendship with Murphy. Since Axel’s a prospect for the club, I’m sure his interaction with Murphy isn’t always fun—the guys love to hassle the prospects—but he’s been a huge part of my life forever. Axel has to understand he’s like another brother to me. That’s all.
Keep telling yourself that, Heidi.
I grew out of my little-girl crush on Blake years ago.
Sure you did.
Reaching up on tiptoes, I grab a T-shirt and slip it on.
“Tell me I’m wrong about Murphy.”
“You’re wrong,” I fire back.
“Okay,” Axel says, sounding anything but okay.
When I turn, he’s sitting on my bed staring at me. I grab my cosmetic case and hairbrush from the top of my dresser and wiggle them in my hand. “I’ll be right back.”
A smile flickers over his mouth, then he gestures at the door in a “hurry up” motion.
Because I’m not a member, my room doesn’t have an attached bathroom like the ones at the opposite end of the hallway do. I’m not complaining, though. I’m so thrilled I’m allowed to stay up here from time to time, they could make me sleep in the kitchen and I’d happily roll out a sleeping bag in the pantry.
It takes longer than I expected to work all the bobby pins out of my hair. I should have asked Axel to help me. Flipping my hair over, one more bobby pin clatters on the tile floor. I snatch it up and set it with the rest of them, then brush my teeth. The bathroom is dorm-style and unisex. I’m not worried about someone intruding on me. I don’t even bother looking up when the door opens. The click of the lock grabs my attention though.
I spit out the foamy ball of toothpaste, rinse my mouth, and turn. “Murphy? What are you doing?”
He doesn’t move closer, just watches me for a few seconds. “Wanted to check on you. Make sure you’re okay.”
Taking a closer look, I notice he’s holding an icepack over one of his hands. “Oh my God, what happened?” I ask, rushing over.
The corners of his mouth turn up slightly. “I’m fine. It’s nothing.”
Skeptical, my lips slide into a smirk. “Were you guys just messing around or is it something more serious?”
He gives me a harder look. “It’s nothing.” Shifting slightly, he sets the icepack on the counter and reaches out to brush my hair back from my face. “You took your hair down.”
My skin tingles where his fingers brushed against me. “Yeah,” I answer with a nervous tremor in my voice. My hands flail in the air around my head. “All the bobby pins. So tight…it was giving me a headache.” Why am I so flustered?
“It looks pretty down.”
“Thank you.” Nervously, I grab a ponytail holder from my pocket and start twisting my hair into a braid. It’s all lumpy and snarled from the up-do, though, so it comes out messy. “Damn,” I mutter, yanking it back out.
“Here, let me help,” Blake offers, steering me to the mirror. He picks up my brush and gently tugs out all the knots, brushing my hair until it’s smooth. Blake used to do this for me all the time when I was a kid, but it’s…been a while.
“Do you still remember how to braid?” I whisper.
I’m watching him in the mirror, so I see the way his mouth slides into a warm smile. “Yeah, I remember. You got a pink bow you want me to stick in it?”
“No.” I bump him with my elbow for teasing me.
He works slowly, gathering all my hair in his hands. The tug and pull as he twists my hair into a loose braid soothes me and brings back a lot of memories. My eyes squeeze shut and I let myself enjoy the simple moment. When he reaches the end, he secures the braid with an elastic I hand him.
“You two going for a ride?” he asks quietly.
His low voice seeps into my mind, nudging me out of my trance. “Yeah. It’s a pretty night.”
He nods and stuffs his hands in his pockets.
“What’s wrong?” I ask, turning around.
“Nothing. Be careful.”
“We will.”
He still doesn’t move. “Anything else?”
Finally he meets my gaze. “Yeah. I’m uh, gonna be out of town for a bit. Some club stuff. But I’ll be back for your birthday.”
My eighteenth birthday is in a few weeks. Blake’s never missed a single one of my birthdays. Something soft and warm wraps itself around my heart. He didn’t want me to think he was abandoning me. “Going anywhere interesting?” I ask.
“Not really.” He flicks his gaze up. “I’ll take you for your birthday ride, and maybe we can do something fun?”
“Okay. Like what?”
His mouth slides into a smirk and he runs his hand over his beard. “We can go apple picking.”
I snort, then giggle, and he smiles even wider. “We haven’t done that in years.”
“No,” he agrees.
“I think Trinity said something about having a small birthday party up here for me.”
“So, we’ll go before the party or the next day.”
“Where?”
“Picking Ladder Farm?”
“Okay. I’d like that.”
He hesitates, then leans in and presses the softest kiss to my cheek.
“See you then,” he says before turning and walking out the door.
“Don’t be mad, but I’m driving behind a really pretty girl.”
“What?” I ask.
Z repeats the bizarre statement.
“Did you really call me to tell me you’re out picking up chicks on my best friend’s wedding day?”
His laughter comes through the line low and rich. If he were in front of me, I’d kick him.
“I’m driving behind you.”
“Oh.” My gaze flicks to the rear view mirror, but all I see is a big, black SUV. “Figures that’s what you’d drive. It looks like an undercover FBI vehicle.”
He chuckles again and this time his laughter melts me like butter. “It’s Rock’s.”
“What are you doing?”
“I needed to run an errand for him. What are you doing? I thought you stayed with Hope and Trin last night?”
“I did.” Z had been pretty annoyed I didn’t sneak out and come stay with him. But for once in my life, I chose girlfriends over dick. I didn’t regret it either. “I needed to run out for a topcoat.”
“What?”
“Nail polish. For the bride.”
“Ohhhkay.”
“Shut up.”
“Let me get ahead of you, so I can open the gate.”
I pull my car slightly to the right and he zips around me, flipping his blinker on and turning onto what barely looks like a road. It’s a good thing he found me because I’m not sure I would have remembered to turn here.
It isn’t the first time I’ve wondered about all the secrecy surrounding the Lost Kings MC. Z’s usually tight-lipped about anything related to the club. Not that I ask a lot of questions. Or that we do a lot of talking.
But now that one of my best friends is mar
rying into the club, I’m curious. Hope is a lawyer. And based on the multiple warnings my brother has given me to stay away from Z, the Lost Kings are criminals.
Alexander—what I call my brother when he’s busy lecturing me on how to live my life, because it annoys him when I use his full name—doesn’t understand that Rock treats Hope like a fucking queen. It’s hard not to be intrigued.
I don’t want that. I don’t need a man in my life permanently. Just in my bed from time to time. Z has been all too willing to offer those services on what’s becoming a regular basis.
I park a little way down the driveway—in case I want to leave early. Z parks next to me and opens my car door before I have a chance to grab my bag and purse.
“Why’d you park all the way down here?”
“I didn’t want to get blocked in if I need to run out again.”
He gives me a skeptical look, as if he’s not buying my bullshit. Before I explain further, he extends his hand and I swear to the big stone Buddha statue at the bottom of the hill, I want to swoon. And I’m not a swooner.
A few seconds later, I want to do something else.
Z shuts my door, then presses me up against it with his big bulky body. “You have any idea what it did to me last night? Having you under the same roof but not being able to touch you?”
The minute his body brushes against mine, any self-restraint I’d been holding on to flies away in the sweet autumn breeze.
* * *
LILLY’S beautiful eyes widen but her body melts against mine. “Tell me,” she says in the same husky tone she uses after we fuck.
Rock expressed a strong preference that I not bother the girls last night. Since he’s the groom, and my president, I didn’t.
“It made me crazy.” That’s not a lie, either. It’s been way too long since I’ve had Lilly. Knowing she was here last night under the same roof, and I couldn’t have her, made me half-crazed with lust.
Tonight’s another story.
The happy couple will be enjoying their wedded bliss, and I’ll be enjoying Lilly.
“I forgot the stuff I ran out to get. Fuck,” she mutters, pushing away from me and opening the door.
Between Embers (Lost Kings MC #5.5): A Companion to White Heat: Three Short Stories Page 5