Inking Eagle (Charon MC Trilogy Book 1)

by Khloe Wren

  “Without passing out? What the fuck is the punishment?”

  I tried to sit up but Scout held my shoulder down with his large palm.

  “That, I won’t tell you. Club business is not any concern of yours. We all know you two are feeling each other, but if he fails this? He’s out and you’ll not be allowed to see him. He needs to atone and prove he’s serious about being part of the club and about being your old man.”

  A growl slipped out before I could call it back. I was in the clubhouse and speaking with the President. I needed to stay respectful. But I was struggling.

  “Sorry, Scout, but I fail to understand why he needs to atone for anything. He saved me three days ago. If it wasn’t for his instincts and Mac’s alarms, they wouldn’t have found me until it was too late. Those men weren’t going to let me walk away.”

  Scout took my hand between his palms. “Don’t growl at me again, girl. And pointing out how close you came to being killed is not going to help your boy. He should have followed you and kept watch the entire time you were out of the house.”

  I wanted to growl again, to rant and rave, but the serious, stubborn look on Scout’s face told me all I needed to know. He wasn’t going to change his mind.

  “Can you tell me when you plan on delivering this mysterious punishment at least? And what about Taz and Mac?”

  “Eagle has chosen to take the punishment for all three of them. Taz and Mac were following his lead on this occasion, so the fault lies with Eagle. And I can’t tell you when, but by the time you’re back on your feet, he will be too. Assuming he passes.”

  At that I glared. He was pushing me to a point where I was about to not care I was in the clubhouse.

  “I’m not happy with you right now. Really not happy.”

  The bastard had the gall to smirk at me. “I get that, sugar. I really do. But you’re important to all of us here at the club and any man who wants you for his old lady better be strong enough, and brave enough, to stand up for you.”

  With that he stood, kissed the top of my head and turned to leave.

  “I’ll send your aunt back in with some food. You need to start eating now that you’re awake.”

  I stayed silent as he left my room. What could I say? There was nothing I could do to prevent what was going to happen to Eagle, if it hadn’t already gone down. Fuck! I wanted to throw things, vent some of this anger and frustration, but even raising my hand slowly had my ribs letting me know they didn’t like the plan. No way did I have the ability to trash my room. And what good would it do anyway? Scout had condoned whatever the fuck was going to happen, and no one could over-ride that.

  Minutes later, it wasn’t my aunt that came in but my uncle.

  “Hey darlin’, good to see you really awake.”

  “Really awake? As opposed to what? Pretend awake?”

  Yeah, I was being a bitch but just at the moment I really didn’t care. Uncle Clint clearly didn’t take my tone to heart as he chuckled and came to sit by me with a bowl of mac and cheese.

  “You’ve been in and out of it for days. We’ve gotten a little soup into you, along with pain meds, but you weren’t with it enough to have a conversation. Or to bitch anyone out.”

  “Don’t suppose you could talk to Scout?”

  His expression grew serious. “Eagle knows he deserves what he’s going to get. There’s nothing you can do to change that course.”

  “It’s bullshit. You know it is. We were at the cabin for a full week with no sign of anyone. Want someone to blame? Blame me. What’s the only way they could have known where I was?”

  He winced and moved in the chair. “They put a tracker on your phone.”

  “So who’s at fault? Me. I’m the stupid one who kept my phone without even thinking to check it over. I had it turned off until that morning. I’m sure if I asked one of the boys to look over it, they would have found the tracker. But I didn’t even think about it. And before you say they should have, they didn’t know that Antonio had taken my phone from me in the first place.”

  He filled a spoon with the gooey mac and cheese. “Well, I sure as shit ain’t letting you go through what he’s about to go through, so just accept the beating you already got as punishment and shut up and eat.”

  Shaking my head, I accepted defeat and opened my mouth to be fed like a fucking toddler. How long did it take for ribs to heal again? I think Eagle had said something about it being three to five weeks. Fuck. I probably wouldn’t see him again until after I was healed.

  It was going to be a long fucking month without seeing him every day. Especially knowing he was going to be hurt. At least he had Taz and Mac. I knew without a doubt both of those men would take care of him.

  Eagle

  “Are you fucking nuts?”

  I glanced over to Taz after I threw back a shot of whiskey.

  “Why should all three of us go down for this? I was in charge, and I fucked up. Club rules. I’ll survive it, then we’ll all patch in and it’ll all be behind us. And I’ll get the girl.”

  Mac shook his head at me. “You know we’re more than capable of handling our own punishment? There is no need for you to take on three times what you should have to.”

  I laughed. “Read between the lines, brother. This shit has nothing to do with what happened up on that mountain and you know it. Sure, the club’s pissed Silk got hurt. But they’re more pissed that a prospect has come in and taken a Daughter of the Club for himself. Just because we haven’t stepped over any public line, everyone knows what’s going on between us. Scout and Bulldog, along with everyone else, know full well the moment I get my top rocker, I’ll be claiming that woman. This beat down? It’s more about me proving I’m willing to step up for Silk. And I am. Fuck, I’m a Marine! These boys won’t break me.”

  “Well, at least half these boys are ex-military so they may well fucking break at least some of you.”

  “Taz, you’re not funny, man.”

  “Wasn’t trying to be, mate.”

  He put another shot in front of me and I threw it back. Hopefully with my mind half-buzzed I’d not feel the blows so much.

  “That’s enough. Don’t want you falling down drunk before they even land a punch. And whatever they manage to break, we’ll take care of you, ‘k?”

  “Yeah, I know, Mac. Fuck, wish it was Silk but she’s going to be flat out trying to get better herself for a good while yet. Last thing she needs is to know I’m fucked up too.”

  Mac gave me a nod. “She knows. That girl’s spent too long around the club. No way she didn’t work out you’ve got some pain coming your way.”

  Taz took over. “Knowing Silk, she’s tried to convince them to leave you alone.”

  “I did see Rose come down and send Scout up there yesterday. I didn’t even think of her trying to save my ass.”

  Fuck, she was one in a million. I had to survive this shit for her. A whisper of sound alerted me to someone coming up from the basement, and I froze, waiting for what I knew was coming.

  “You ready, Eagle?”

  I took a deep breath, held each of my brothers’ gazes for a moment then turned to stand, facing Scout.

  “Yeah, let’s get this shit over with. Just to be clear, Mac and Taz are clear of punishment right?”

  Scout shook his head a little. “Yeah, you crazy fucker. You’re taking all the hits on this one.” Scout looked over my shoulder. “You two stay up here. Either of you try to get downstairs, it’s not going to end well for you. I’m leaving six men up here to keep guard on the clubhouse, and to make sure you don’t try anything.”

  He rattled off the names, but I wasn’t listening. I was too busy taking in each of the men who stood behind Scout. The ones who were going to be laying into me real soon. Looked to be about a dozen men. I should probably be grateful Scout hadn’t called in the whole fucking club.

  With a head tilt from Scout, we were off toward the basement. I hadn’t been down there before, but could take a guess
at what I’d find there. I rolled my shoulders as we marched down the stairs. It rather felt like I was heading to the gallows. I glanced at the men around me. They looked serious, but not ‘I’m about to kill someone’ serious. Thankfully.

  I was led into a room with Scout, Bulldog, Keys, Arrow and Nitro. The hierarchy of the club were all here. Fuck. The others stayed out in the hallway and the door was closed. There was a single bulb hanging in the center of the space. I was surrounded by concrete, and the floor had a drain in the center. Yeah, only one reason they had this room. I winced. This shit was going to hurt like a motherfucker.

  “You know why you’re here?”

  Scout’s voice was deeper than usual, and a little more gravelly.

  “Twice, I’ve been in charge of Silk’s security when she’s been taken or hurt. I also suspect this is more about the fact you all know that I want her for my old lady.”

  Because they knew full well it didn’t matter how closely Silk was being watched, the mob would have gotten to her eventually. And that first time was on them, not me. If they’d told me sooner who was after her, I’d have been by her side, not standing out in front of the damn shop. The shit at the cabin was on me, though. I’d been kicking my own ass from the moment it happened. We’d all gotten complacent after a full week with no sign of anyone.

  Bulldog stepped forward with a growl. “You ain’t good enough for our girl.”

  “She’s no girl, and I may not be good enough, but thankfully, she doesn’t seem to care. Once I’m patched in, and have claimed her, you better stop withholding information from me that I need to make sure she’s always protected. If I had known who was after her earlier, I would have had someone standing beside her twenty-four/seven, instead of just me at the door of the shop. And tell me, did you get word that they were coming after her again this last week?”

  Bulldog’s expression tightened and his fists clenched.

  “Yeah, I thought so. If you’d given me a heads-up, she wouldn’t have been allowed to leave the damn cabin at all, let alone by herself. You tied my hands behind my back, and now you’re fucking pissed I didn’t keep her safe. Don’t you think that information would have been fucking helpful? You think I like that she’s lying up there with fucked-up ribs and face because I wasn’t there? And if my instincts hadn’t kicked in, if me and my boys didn’t have the skills we had Silk wouldn’t by lying upstairs at all, would she? She’d be fucking dead. All because you assholes didn’t want to share club business with a fucking prospect. If anyone deserves a beat down over this shit, it’s you five. Not me.”

  I paused to roll my shoulders and take a deep breath. I was angry and spouting off, but I wasn’t about to be put through this shit for something I didn’t fucking do.

  “And you all know it. So, like I said before, I suspect this has more to do with me proving my worth to have Silk once you see fit to give me my top rocker. Tell me, am I allowed to fight back, or am I supposed to stand here and take the licks without raising so much as a finger?”

  Scout spoke up again. “You can fight back. No killing anyone. I know you Marines are trained well, but I don’t want anyone dying here today. Nor do I want half my club out with fucking broken bones. We still need to deal with Sabella, and can’t do that with a bunch of crippled men. After this is over, we’ll discuss changing what we tell prospects in the future, especially when it comes to security issues.”

  With a nod, I fell back into a fighter’s stance. Naturally, Bulldog was the first one to come at me with a fist flying toward my jaw. I jerked out of the way and delivered a blow to his stomach.

  “Told you I’d only let you get that one free shot in.”

  Bulldog wheezed and stumbled back, but it only took him a moment to collect himself and come back at me. This time it wasn’t just him. Obviously, the others had been waiting for Bulldog to start things. I caught sight of Scout moving to open the door as the other four all came at me at once. Every one of these bastards was big and they all knew how to pack a punch. I did what I could to avoid hits and throw out a few of my own, but it was useless, and before long I was pinned up against the wall, my arms being held against the rough concrete as the men all took their turns at me. I got a few good kicks in, taking down a couple of the lower-ranked members. Unfortunately, I couldn’t keep it up. Not with my upper body taking blow after blow.

  The third time I turned my head to spit out a mouthful of blood, my head swam and black spots invaded. Fuck. I was going to pass out. I tried every mental trick I knew to stay alert, to block out the pain. Then Bulldog filled my vision and this time, there was no avoiding his fist. My head jerked to the side and stars filled my vision before it went black.

  Chapter 21

  Silk

  As soon as I could sit up comfortably, I started sketching. I knew Eagle had gone through his punishment, but no one would tell me anything. Like what condition he was in, or even where the fuck he was. My mind was whirling with the worst-case scenarios. Although, if he’d been killed surely they’d tell me that? And no way would Mac and Taz still be hanging around if that happened. I’d only been downstairs a couple of times. It still hurt if I moved too much and stairs were not my friend. But when I had gone down yesterday, Taz had been behind the bar and Mac on the front door.

  Shaking my head, I focused back on my sketchbook. I’d nearly finished Eagle’s tattoo. I was beyond happy with how it looked. I hoped he liked it. I hoped I’d get a chance to at least show him the design. I’d be gutted if I couldn’t ink it on him myself, but I had no idea if the club would even allow him to be in the same room as me, let alone allow me to have my hands on him. A flash of heat went through me as I remembered him agreeing to let me pierce his nipple–so long as I did it naked.

  With a growl at myself, I tossed my pad and pen aside. There was no point in pining for something that was never going to happen. I was finding it hard enough to even sleep without his hard, warm body wrapped around mine. Spending my waking hours dreaming of him was going to send me crazy.

  I carefully slipped from the bed and put on my flats before I headed out. By the time I reached the bottom of the stairs, I had to rest against the wall for a minute to catch my breath. It still hurt to take deep breaths. Stupid fucking ribs.

  “Whoa, hon. What are you doing up and around on your own?”

  I glared as Taz all but dragged me to a chair.

  “Gee, I don’t know. Maybe the fact I’m a grown fucking woman has something to do with it.”

  Bastard chuckled at me as he went and got me a bottle of water.

  “Here, drink some of this, then I’ll help you down to the kitchen. I assume that’s where you were heading?”

  The way he looked at me had me pausing. “Where is he?”

  “I have no idea who you’re talking about.”

  I went to stand so I could get in his face, but he laid a hand on my shoulder, keeping me seated.

  “You know exactly who I’m talking about! I know something happened, and I know I haven’t seen him in a fucking week. But no one will tell me anything! But you know, don’t you?”

  He lifted his hand from my shoulder and tucked my hair behind my ear. “Club business, darlin’. You know I can’t tell you.”

  “Give me something. Anything.”

  My voice had gone whisper quiet and I winced at how desperate I sounded.

  “You know how close we are to him. You know we’d never leave him unguarded.”

  With that he turned and left. I sat there for a full minute, waiting for my brain to jump into fucking gear. Then, with a burst of light I understood. Eagle was here. At the clubhouse. Mac and Taz would never leave him, especially if he was injured. Suddenly, I didn’t feel like eating anymore. I recapped my bottle of water and made my way to the bottom of the stairs. Fuck, I just got down these bastards and now I was going to have to get back up them!

  It probably took me ten minutes, and I had to stop several times, but I made it back up to the upper level
. Which bedroom had Eagle used last time? The prospects didn’t get their own room until after they patched in, but generally speaking, they tended to use the same one each time they stayed here. I took another drink of water before I started down the hallway. The prospect rooms were all the way in the back and I was out of breath by the time I time I’d made it to them. I went down there, where Eagle had stayed before, and tried the handle. Unlocked, the door swung in silently and revealed Eagle’s battered body. With a quiet gasp, I stepped in and closed the door behind me.

  “Oh, Eagle. What did they do to you?”

  Fury at my uncle and the club rolled through me, making my body vibrate with rage. How dare they? His chest moved with his breathing but other than that, he was unnaturally still. I’d never seen him like this. Like a doll. A broken doll.

  I crept closer, not wanting to wake him, but needing to be near him, I tried to not make a sound as I approached the bed. When I got to the side and sat on a chair that was there, his head rolled toward me. His eyes stayed shut as he slurred my name in his sleep.

  “Shhh, babe. I’m here. Go back to sleep. You’ll feel better when you wake.”

  I stroked his face until his breathing evened out again. Blinking away tears, I fled his room. Ignoring the pain of my ribs, I rushed back to my own room and got behind the solid door before I let the tears flow. I hated the Charons in that moment. I’d always loved this club, loved being a part of the Charon MC family. But now, I wished I’d never heard the name. If I wasn’t a Daughter of the Club, Eagle wouldn’t have been beaten for simply fucking caring about me.

  Anger fueled my actions. I quickly wiped my face and went back out, easily making it down the stairs this time. The ache in my ribs was nothing compared to the righteous fury blazing in my veins. I went from room to room, looking for someone high enough up the food chain to vent my anger on. My uncle was the unfortunate one I found first.