“Fuck you,” Trent spat toward the man on the couch.
“Boys, boys, boys,” Ace admonished. “Let’s not let this get out of hand like last time.”
Teal took Ace’s wolfish grin as the true warning. Shockingly bright, white teeth shone between his parted lips; the expression savage and intimidating. His beauty was held hostage beneath his feral expression, and the contrast utterly shocked her. Underneath the scars and his wildness, sat something she couldn’t quite place her finger on, but if made to guess, Teal would say this man was weary.
“What do you want?” Trent asked. Teal noted he had lowered the gun, just a bit.
“You sure you don’t want her in the other room?” Ace nodded, and the blue-haired man pulled a folder from his hip. Gripping it in his hand, he stood there, waiting for Trent to make a choice.
Teal eyed the folder gripped in his tattooed hand. Fear assailed her as she realized the contents in the folder would dictate much of their future. She couldn’t help but wonder how deep Trent’s connection was with these men. They looked and acted exactly how she’d expected men in his past would; though, as Blu eyed her, it wasn’t a lascivious stare, but one of actual attraction. She crossed her arms over her chest, as if that could protect her from his penetrating gaze.
“I’m not going anywhere,” she declared, moving completely around him, only to be halted at his side by his strong arm. Happy to be next to him, rather than behind him, Teal stayed where he stopped her and glared back at the men.
“Blu.” Ace uttered his name as a command, and Blu moved forward, arm out, folder thrust in Trent’s direction.
Teal stared at the unobtrusive thing. Nothing scrawled on the outside and seemingly thin, it piqued her interest more than the brute men taking up residence in her living room.
Trent snatched the folder from his hand. “What the fuck is this?” He didn’t open it. The folder gripped in his palm as if it would explode at any second.
“More like who?” Ace drawled.
Teal surprised herself by pulling the folder from his hand. “I got it,” she said as Trent held tighter. With a weary glance down at her, he released the paper. Her heart soared with the trust he’d extended to her by letting her eyes be the first to scan the contents.
Teal opened the folder carefully, cupping the bottom to secure the papers inside. The first thing that caught her eye was a photo of a man dressed in a three-piece suit, phone to his ear, surrounded by men who were no doubt bodyguards. She scrutinized the man’s face closely, realizing he looked familiar. The eyes and blade-thin cheek bones, glossy black hair, and swarthy complexion hit her, sending déjà vu bells clambering around in her head.
She looked up to see Trent’s eyes on the photo. “I’ve seen this man before,” she muttered.
His lips set in a grim line, and his eyes narrowed with rage. Teal sensed the storm brewing wasn’t directed at her, it had to do with the man in the photo. Glancing at the picture again, she fought to find some clue as to who this man was, and where’d she’d seen him.
The air of superiority from his up-tilted nose and cocky smirk crossed him off the guest list of Poe’s birthday party. No, this man seemed more like someone she’d seen hanging around Jake, yet she didn’t recognize him as one of the men who’d assaulted her at the bar all those months ago.
“You want to give us a fucking clue?” Trent asked.
Teal was almost there. Her brain had supplied a few details. She’d seen the man on TV. Though she could have sworn it’d been a picture of him and a child. Or was she just going crazy?
No, wait. It wasn’t the man who seemed familiar, it was how similar he looked to the missing girl the news had reported. Teal glanced up to Trent, the panic spreading across her face faster than she could hide it.
“Oh my God,” she whispered. “Trent, why are they giving you a picture of Congressman Alexander Tonwlyn-Havers? What the hell is going on here?”
He took the photo from her, allowing the empty envelope to flutter to the floor. He flipped the photo over revealing a date written on the back of the paper.
“A week from today,” Teal said. “What’s a week from today?” Dread slowly filled her belly. She’d known the second she’d recognized the congressman what these men were silently suggesting, but something inside of her rebelled against the idea of men coming to her husband and asking him to—she couldn’t even say it, let alone think it. Why did these men, who were no doubt killers in their own right, need Trent?
Ace ignored her. Actually, as she glanced around the room she found that all of the men had their glares concentrated on Trent, who held the paper in his hand so tight she watched as it shriveled in his grip.
Trent bared his teeth like a rabid dog. “No.”
Teal knew that unyielding tone. The one she’d heard so many times before.
Chapter 13
Trent felt the coiling heat and anger expand in his chest and spread throughout his body. The second these men had entered his home, frightened his woman, and asked for the impossible, Trent’s blood boiled and the man they’d hoped to coax from him slithered just beneath the surface of his skin.
“Can someone just fully explain what is going on here?” He heard the pleading in Teal’s voice. “No more cloak and dagger, for the love of God. Just full-on truth.”
He tensed when Mutt stood, lazily stretching before he moved toward Teal. To her credit, Teal held her ground.
“Marine here has done things like this before, for less respectable reasons. The US military has sent him to kill men for the sake of killing or to protect oil, ain’t that right?” Mutt glared up at him, mere inches from Teal.
Trent had no clue what the man was talking about. Possibly some beef he held against the military, Trent didn’t know, but he did know that he was not killing a congressman.
Trent grunted in response, angry that he had to take his eyes off Ace to track Mutt’s movements. When Mutt slipped his hand into his cut, a growl formed low in Trent’s chest, pushing its way up and out of his mouth. “Back the fuck off.”
Mutt’s hands leisurely rose in mock surrender, “Sir, yes, sir.” He mocked a soldier’s response. A square of paper between his fingers caught Trent’s notice. Slowly he brought the paper down and presented it to Teal, who took it.
“Who is this?” she asked.
Trent never moved his eyes away from Mutt as Teal examined the photo.
“She looks like she’s only twelve years old, maybe even younger.”
At that, Trent glanced down at the picture. A bright-eyed, blonde-haired, young girl smiled into the flash of the camera, causing his stomach to lurch. A memory from the past flashed in his head, of a young girl pulling a trigger, killing her rapists and torturers. Nausea rolled through him, and it took all of Trent’s strength not to retch on the floor.
“Not again.” He spoke more to himself than to anyone in the room. He felt Teal shift at his side.
“Again? Is someone going to hurt her?” A tremor shook her voice.
Trent knew the victims Teal had seen over the course of her career, but he didn’t think she’d ever seen anything like this. She worked at an adult prison, the exploitation of young girls may not have been something she was closely familiar with.
“Yes,” muttered Mutt. “And once again, the dregs of society are here for the rescue.”
Teal glanced up sharply. “Trent is not a dreg of society.”
Mutt gave her a dark grin. “He’s an honorary dreg, per his very own agreement. Ain’t that right, Sandbag?” He stepped back.
Trent took in the room. The men all watched him, as if waiting for him to say no. His promise all those years ago would hold and he knew it. Now, it wasn’t just two lives on the line. And while Trent felt Emma Mae would be safe from the wrath of the MC, he knew damned well that if something happened to him, Emma Mae would grow up without ever knowing him.
He peered down at Teal’s stony resolve, feeling the need to take her in close and
kiss her. If he didn’t do this, she’d have to live without him. Trent contemplated if that weren’t the better option for her. If he and his negativity were gone from her life, wouldn’t that be better?
“Get out of my house,” he spoke. His tone relayed his resignation to the fact he would most likely be committing a felony. To his surprise, the men made their way to the door. Mutt, however, turned back. Trent shot him a glare that spoke of bullets and pain if the man didn’t get the fuck out of his house.
Mutt placed a hand on the handle, and gone was the sneer normally reserved for Trent. “Elena says hello.” And with that, the men were gone and his home was his once again.
Teal rushed over to the door with Trent on her heels. “Let me,” he said as she struggled to get the sliding glass door back on its tracks and closed again.
“We need to change that to something safer,” she mumbled and he nodded, his mind still spinning.
What in the hell did Ace need him for? Why? They had no doubt killed many men, so what could Trent provide that was any different?
Once the door was fixed and locked, Teal and Trent sat on the couch, all remnants of sleep gone, only to leave behind confusion and the dreaded sense of helplessness.
Teal lay her head on Trent’s arm. “Who is Elena?”
Trent closed his eyes and rested his head on the cushion behind his head. “She’s the girl I helped save from sex trafficking.” He took in a huge breath, then pushed it out. His heart was racing, and the sound of blood rushing through his head sounded so loud it nearly muffled her next words.
“Why can’t we just call the cops? Why do we have to be involved in this?”
“Because the cops are probably just as dirty as Congressman Alexander Tonwlyn-Havers,” he answered honestly.
“Trent,” she sat up. “These men can’t really expect you to murder a man.” Her eyes pleaded with him to tell her that this was all a dream. That she’d wake up tomorrow and everything would disappear.
He couldn’t make her that promise, God knows he wanted to.
“They don’t expect it, baby. They demand it.” He felt ashamed to admit it to her, but there was no use in lying. As a matter of fact, Trent could have already prepared Teal for this shit, had he just been forthcoming from the start. But he’d been too needy and greedy. All he’d wanted was her, and his fears of losing her because of his past had been well-founded.
“Back when Shayla and I were together, she got in trouble with Ace and his gang. In order to not have a bullet put in the back of our heads, I had to promise Ace and his men two debts.” Trent carefully watched as he explained how his ex, who was supposed to be long gone and out of their lives, was back. “The first was to help them form a coop against the old MC who was peddling little girls. Elena is the girl we saved.” Trent would never forget that night.
Teal shook her head. “I think we need to call the police, or maybe even the FBI. You guys can’t handle this yourselves. You’ve tried and it’s started up again.”
Trent wasn’t sure of how much to tell her. He didn’t want her up at night, like he’d been, wondering about the world he lived in, and the amount of exploited women and children he’d never be able to save. Hell, he wasn’t even sure he’d saved Elena. The cold dead look in her eyes had said her life was over. He prayed that girl had been given another chance at life.
“I agree, baby. But the MC doesn’t work with law enforcement, and the sheriff in Blackwater isn’t going to be any help.”
She reared back. “Are you actually thinking of doing this?”
No . . . yes . . . maybe? Trent knew death was coming one way or another, but the question was, would it be him, or Congressman Alexander Tonwlyn-Havers?
He took Teal’s hand in his and pulled her onto his lap. “I have to at least look as if I am considering it. These men aren’t from some fucking TV show, Teal. They will kill me if they see fit.” Her glassy eyes widened at his words. He leaned in and kissed her parted lips. “I’ll figure this out.”
“No, you won’t cut me out of this. It is my choice, too.”
“On whether or not I kill someone?” he asked incredulously.
She looked up at him, her narrowed gaze and furrowed brow displaying her anger. “Yes, and the answer is a resounding no. We’ll go to the cops.” Her words trailed off and Trent watched as she fell silent.
He wondered what she was thinking about. Perhaps the idea that going to the cops would get them all killed? That’s what he was thinking. The last thing he was going to do was cast any suspicion onto the MC when it came to the murder of the congressman.
“Look,” Trent tilted back, allowing Teal to slide up his thighs, “I’ll figure something out. Hell, if I have to, I’ll buy my way out of this.” As he said the words, Trent knew it would never happen. Ace had waited all these years to call in this debt, and Trent was positive it took great thought and cunning to wait this long. He’d had years to ask Trent for money, and if he’d needed it, he would have come and collected.
No. Trent knew what Ace needed, and that was a man familiar in the art of killing.
As if they were mentally synched, Teal asked, “And what if you can’t buy your way out of this one? What if your money is no good to them?”
Trent winced at the way Teal had said your money as if it weren’t hers as well.
“Our money can go a long way, baby. But I will at least try.” The words made Trent feel like a punk, as if trying to bribe his way out of an old promise like a scared little pup.
However, times were different now, and his family depended on him. The moment Trent had said no to Ace, he knew he’d soon have a gun at his head. There was no getting around it; and in a way, Trent felt a sense of resolve. If anything, this particular MC was known for the intolerance of harming women. That placed Emma Mae and Teal off their radar of causing harm at least physically.
And Trent understood the emotional damage men like that could create. He’d also caught the flare of appreciation in Blu’s eyes as he observed Teal. Trent’s hands made their way over her body, touching exposed skin, as if he were marking her with his touch.
She took in a deep breath, about to tell him to stop his shit, when his hand clamped over her mouth. Eyes wide, she was momentarily hushed.
“I’m not keeping you out of this, but I need time to think.” His free hand moved up and down her arms until he felt the prickle of gooseflesh. Her gaze grew hooded, yet the lust seemed blocked by all that’d happened today.
Trent pulled back the reigns on his need for her. She needed time to process what had occurred, because unlike him, Teal was not used to the constant obstructions they faced. His fear that she’d leave was the only thing making him keep secrets in the first place.
He laid back, propping himself against the soft pillows of the couch. He lifted his arm, working out the stiffness there.
Teal reached forward. Pulling at his shirt, she hefted it up and over his head. Deft little fingers pressed into his shoulder, massaging away the pressure, helping to release the tension. He watched as she took in his scars. Flesh twisted in an unnatural way, distorting tattoos and mauling skin.
Trent closed his eyes. He’d never been a vain man, but he’d kept up with his body, pushing it to the limit with weights and an occasional ten-mile run. But as Teal’s fingers moved over the mottled flesh, his stomach twisted. She fingered a particularly rough spot on his chest and Trent flinched, sucking in a breath. Straddling his hips, she leaned in. Her soft lips brushed over the scars, and soft bouncy curls brushed his chest as her lips traced scars and kissed old wounds.
Her hips made subtle movements over his growing arousal. She always did this for him, made him feel good while exploring his scars. He felt the heat radiating from between her parted legs, felt the damp heat growing as her body readied for him.
Her head lifted away from his shoulder and made its way to his chest, where some shotgun pellets had landed, ruining an older tattoo. Her hips swayed over him, igniti
ng a flame in his groin that caused him to gently thrust upward, a moan falling from his lips.
Trent wanted her with a growing fervor, more and more each day. He loved when they made love, and even more when they fucked. And when Trent fucked Teal, he wasn’t after soft moans, pleas, or admissions of love. He wanted grunts, curses, bite marks, and the bruising that displayed their fingerprints.
What was more was that Teal loved it. She’d stand in the mirror, pointing out each mark with a huge, shit-eating grin on her face as Trent lay in bed, calming his racing heart, and fighting for control over the need to take her again.
Teal’s teeth sank into his flesh, just above a scar, and Trent’s eyes popped open. The small sting sent a bolt of lust up his spine. He pulled her away from the scars and guided her to his other arm, the one with smooth tanned skin.
Dark eyes peered up at him. “Why’d you move me?” Her open core still played over his hips, the friction making it hard for him to concentrate.
“What?” Of its own accord, his head dropped back and his eyes closed when Teal reached back, using his knees to balance herself to apply more pressure as she ground her body on his. The thin fabric of her sleep shorts revealed her heat.
He couldn’t think when she swiveled her hips like that. A hand inched up his chest, and fingers threaded through the hair at the base of his neck.
Teal tilted his head and placed her lips at his pulse point, gently sucking the skin there. “Why’d you move me?”
Trent’s brain went on the fritz and his hips bucked beneath her. “I want you on the whole part of me, the part that ain’t damaged,” he admitted in a rush.
Teal pulled back. “What’d you just say?” Her husky tone had sobered, causing Trent to open his eyes. She stared at him in confusion and Trent felt just as befuddled as she looked.
“What?” His heart ticked in his chest. What the fuck had he said? He couldn’t think past his hard dick and tingling skin. He could feel her wetness, her heat, her need, so why the hell had she stopped?
Indebted: 'Til Death Do Us Part (Teal & Trent Book 3) Page 11