“Let me show you around the place,” I say in a hushed voice, offering my arm and she doesn’t hesitate, pulling in a deep breath. Dropping my head closer to her ear, I whisper, “I’m not going to hurt you. Let’s get out of here.” Her worried expression fades and is replaced by a wary smile.
Making our way out of the room, I quickly show her where everything is before we make our way upstairs.
“This is my father’s room, and this one here is mine.”
“You guys live here… at the club?” she gasps.
“Of course,” I reply with a shrug. “I even have my own tattoo studio. I converted the old garage into my own private studio.”
“Shit. That’s amazing. And what about the rest of the guys? They have their own homes?”
“Sure, but most of them practically live here anyway,” I reply, reaching into my pocket and grabbing my keys. Unlocking the door, I hold it open for her, waiting for her to enter.
“I’m not sure about this,” she says, crossing her arm and pressing a finger against her lip as if she’s nervous.
“I’m not going to touch you,” I assure her. “Just wanted to get you away from my father and the rest of the guy’s eye-fucking you down there.”
“Shit,” she says exhaling and her shoulders slump as she slowly walks inside, her eyes fixed on me. “I had this big idea about how it would be here. It’s something I always thought I wanted. See, I worked at the gas station,” she says, lowering herself onto the edge of the bed, her hands gripping the side of the mattress, while I lock the door behind us. “Bikers would come through all the time. So handsome, so charismatic, and I always thought, I want to have a piece of that. Driving on the open road as free as a bird and with the wind in my hair. The adrenaline buzzing through you when the engine roars beneath you.”
“Shit, you make this sound like a fucking Disney film.” I can’t help but let out a little laughter as I sit beside her. “Babe, I can assure you it isn’t like that at all. I hate to tell you this.” I sigh, my head falling forward a little, my hair dropping over my face. “You are payment to Prez. A whore to do with what he wants.”
“No.” She catches the sob rising. “Ozzie told me it would be different.”
“Ozzie lied to you, Emily.”
“What do I do, Nate? How do I get out of here?”
Closing my eyes, I rub my fingers over them. “There ain’t no getting out, babe. You were a gift to the club from Ozzie. And you came willing.”
“I’ll run away. They’ll never find me if I go out of state.” I hear the panic in her voice and turn my head to see tears rolling across her cheeks and dripping from her chin.
“They’ll find you, Emily. I’m sorry. I wish there was something I could do to help you.”
“God, I didn’t expect it to be like this. I didn’t expect to feel fear the way I feel it right now.” She gasps, her hand covering her mouth as she tries to contain any noise from her crying. I reach my arm around her, pulling her toward me.
“Shhh…” I say, soothing her and stroking my hand over her hair. “I have an idea,” I say quietly. She parts from me and her eyes land on me, waiting for me to say more.
“I’m all ears,” she says, wiping her hand across her cheeks, removing the moisture caused by her tears.
“I gotta be able to trust you.”
“Of course,” she replies, her voice taut.
“I’ll help you, but you gotta promise that this stays between us. You try to cross me, and I’ll have you killed.”
“In this together.” She offers me her hand. I take it, shaking it lightly.
Nate
“It’s a girl, right?” she asks with a cock of her head, eyes burning into me inquisitively.
I chuckle, holding my cigarette against my lip as I pause for a second.
“How…”
“Let’s call it women’s intuition, shall we?”
“I call it a good guess.” I take a drag of my cigarette, adjusting myself until I’m facing her on the bed. “Listen.” I look her dead in the eye. “I meant what I said earlier about you not telling anyone. What I’m about to tell you could cost me my life if they found out.”
Swiping her head from side to side, she looks around the room, her eyebrows drawn in confusion.
“Who?” she whispers, leaning toward me a little.
“The brothers. The whole crew of Savages.”
“No,” she replies, shaking her head. “You’re the son of the prez. They wouldn’t dare.”
“It’s the president that wants my head. Listen, there’s a whole lot more to this story. This girl, I mean, my girl, well he says she belongs to him. Only, Tara and I have been together for over a year.”
“Shit,” she gasps. “What you gonna do? Is there any way you can win him over?”
“Do you think he looks like the kind of guy that can be won over?”
She gives me a nervous smile. “And you’re willing to risk your life for this girl? She’s really the one?” Her smile changes. It no longer holds the sadness it had just a second ago. No, it’s much different. A genuine, heart-warming smile. “Listen, I don’t know much about the club rules or what happens around here. But one thing I do know is this. True love doesn’t exist for everyone. If you’ve found someone that makes you happy, that makes your heart pound like never before, then that’s something worth fighting for. Because without love, what’s the point in living?”
“Emily, I’m going to be honest here. I’ve slept with hundreds of women. Whores brought into this club purely for our enjoyment. And I won't lie, I enjoyed it. Every goddamn second of it. But it wasn’t until Tara that I actually understood the meaning of ‘making love’ because that kind of sex has never featured in my life. Until her. I just can’t explain it. Being with her, holding her in my arms caused something to happen to me that I can’t even understand myself. A range of emotions I had yet to experience.”
“So fight for her, Nate. Because living without her will be like not living at all.”
“That’s where I’m thinking we can help each other.”
She tilts her head. “Oh really, how?”
“You want my help. My protection. You know that whenever you’re with me, you’re off-limits for the other guys? That should give you a little time to figure out if you actually want to make it work here. Hell, you will realize who the good guys are. And believe me, there are some good guys here.”
“And you?”
“If my father thinks something is developing between us, then he’ll loosen the noose a little. Call off the guys.” I reach down, showing her the scars on my legs. “This is what happened to me the last time I saw Tara. She was at a bar, ridiculously drunk, on a rebound date and I found her outside. I couldn’t leave her. I had to help. Only I didn’t know he had the crew following me. When I returned home, Silver and some of the others were demanded to teach me a lesson. See, he warned me to stay away from Tara, and ignoring is a violation of his orders.”
Throwing herself against my chest, she wraps her arms around me tightly. “I’m so sorry that happened to you,” she whispers, her hands tight against my back.
“I’m okay, honestly.” I slowly release her hold, parting from her, but holding her face against my hand. “But I need you to be okay with this. You being a cover for me so that I can still see Tara.”
“Of course.” She smiles, resting her hand over mine. “I’ll do whatever I can to help you. We have to watch out for each other, right?”
I smile, nodding as I reach for the ashtray, extinguishing my cigarette. “If we are going to do this, it has to look real.”
Her eyes widen. “Just how real are we talkin’ here?” She purses her lips playfully. I hold up my hands in a mock surrender.
“The odd kiss in public. The sneaking off when the party starts. I mean, of course nothing will happen, but we have to make it look like it will.”
“Hmm, I’m not sure,” she replies, nervously swirling a few loo
se strands of hair around her finger. “I’m worried that you won’t be able to contain yourself around me. I mean, look at me.” She chuckles lightly, tapping my leg playfully.
Fuck.
This is awkward.
“Emily, you’re beautiful. But my heart belongs with Tara.”
“Chill, Nate. I’m just teasing.”
I shoot her a quick smile, the silence in the room almost uncomfortable. Being next to this beautiful chick should be making my dick hard, but all I can think of is how I’m going to be able to use her to get to Tara. And for that, I feel fucking awful. She’s just a pawn in my game. But one thing I will promise her.
“Hey, I’ll make sure I keep you safe, okay? In return for your help.”
“You’re a good guy, Nate. Sure looks like this MC could do with more Nates around here.”
“Good, nah. But I’m different from the rest.”
“Can’t argue with that,” she says swinging her legs over the side of the bed and jumping to her feet. “Wanna show me this tattoo studio of yours?”
“Lead the way,” I say, standing up and holding my arm out to her.
Tara
I tried to say no to him. Let him know this was all unnecessary, but he wouldn’t listen. Braxton Harris takes orders from no one.
Standing in the bedroom window, I stare out into the yard. The huge tree at the end is lit up with lights strung from the branches.
“It’s going to be awesome having you around.” Izzy’s voice snaps me from my internal thoughts.
“Izzy.” I sigh loudly. “Please, don’t.”
“What?” she asks, coming to stand beside me.
“Don’t try to dress this up as some fun girly weekend. Let’s face it, I’m on lockdown, aren’t I?” I turn on the spot, my back resting against the windowsill, my eyes landing on her beautiful face dressed with a sad smile.
“I hate that this is happening to you,” she sighs, stepping toward me and brushing her hand against my arm.
“But we are letting him win. We are showing him I’m scared.”
“It’s about keeping you safe.”
“I’m safe at my apartment. I don’t need to be here.”
“Tara!” she yells at me unexpectedly. Izzy never yells, and it certainly got my attention. “You gotta start listening to me. You are not safe, and Brax knows this. Everything we are doing, we are doing it for you. I get that you don’t want to be here, but it’s the way it has to be.”
The sinking feeling inside replaces the annoyance I had. “Look, I’m sorry,” I mumble, realizing I’m acting like a child. “I’m lucky to have you guys looking out for me. I’m just frustrated, you know?”
“Of course.” She nods. “I get it completely.”
Stepping toward me, she reaches for my hands, taking them in hers. “Babe, you are so brave. What you went through to help me, what you did… well that took some guts. I love your ride or die attitude, really I do, but we've got to be sensible here. Brax would not suggest you’re in danger unless he truly believed it.” Dropping her head, forcing me to meet her eyes, she pleads with me. “Promise me you won’t do anything crazy. Please?”
Exhaling heavily, I allow my shoulders to sag as I look up at her through my lashes. “You’re not going to drop this, are you?”
“Nope,” she replies, stepping back and folding her arms across her chest, a determined look stretched across her face. Feeling resigned to the fact that I’m not getting out of this one, I flash her a quick smile.
“Okay, okay, I’ll stay here.” Pointing my finger at her I raise one brow. “But only for the time being. This is not some long-term agreement.”
Squealing, she thrusts herself at me, holding me tight and swaying me from side to side.
“What are you two squealing about?” Brax's voice booms across the room. My eyes find him standing in the doorway, his arm resting against the frame. His face bears a wicked grin. Smug son-of-a-bitch.
“I’d tell you, but right now I’m struggling to breathe. Your wife has a killer choke hold.” I widen my eyes and his laughter fills the room. Izzy drops her hold and scurries over to Brax, pressing her palm against his chest.
“Finally,” she says to him, glancing at me over her shoulder. “She’s agreed to stay.”
“Forced,” I blurt out. “Forced to stay. Anyway, forget that,” I rush out with a wave of my hand. “How was he, Brax? How was Nate when you saw him?”
“Not good, Tara. He has some serious shit going on with the club. He was in a bad way.”
“No,” I cry out, my voice raspy as I try to contain my emotions. Brax’s footsteps catch my attention. I look up to see him standing there.
“He’s worried for you, Tara. His father has made his claim and Nate understands the seriousness of the situation. Keeping you at arm’s length is the only way he can protect you. He’s cut up about the whole fucked-up situation.”
I swallow the lump of emotion that has formed in my throat, making it difficult to speak. “But, what about him? How will I know he’s safe? How can we help him, Brax? I have to help him somehow.” I suddenly jerk myself away from the window and try to dart for the door. My fight or flight reflex kicks in. “I need to do something. I can’t just stand here and do nothing while those monsters could be hurting him, or worse!”
“Stop,” Brax orders. “I got it covered, Tara. I have someone on the inside looking out for him and reporting back to me. I won’t let anything happen to Nate. You have my word.” Tugging on my arm, he tries to pull me close, but I do everything I can to resist.
“No,” I say, finally snapping my wrist from his hold. A tear tries to break through, but I won’t allow it. I have to be strong now. Not for me, but for Nate. Brax’s expression softens and he shoots me a sad smile.
“This is a whole level of fucked up, but I’m doing everything I can to help you and Nate. You have to believe me, Tara. I’m on your side.”
My breathing becomes painful. Like the emotion I feel is well and truly lodged in my throat.
“I want to see him.”
“Not going to happen,” he dismisses me quickly, his words echo through my mind. “He’s being watched and I don’t doubt for a second that the fuckers are watching you too. Maybe when the dust settles.”
“This is ridiculous,” I spit out, as I look between the pair. “We’re adults. How can anyone force us to be apart?”
“Why do you think he wanted to keep the truth about you two quiet? You’re a civilian. They live a whole different kind of life, and let’s face it,” he scoffs, “you’re not exactly old lady material.”
“Can’t help who you fall for, Brax,” I respond, my voice strained, and I have no idea how this is all going to work out. All I know is that without Nate, I feel empty. Like there is a part of me missing, a complete void in my life. I have this constant panic: like a child who momentarily lost a parent. But it never stops. The panic I feel, the weight against my chest restricting my breathing, never leaves me.
How can I possibly live my life without him?
“I should take my stuff to the spare room.” My eyes flit between the pair and I give them the best smile I can muster.
“Sure,” Brax replies with a firm nod. “I want you to feel at home here, so anything you need, you know you only have to ask.”
“You’re too sweet,” I say, slowly walking toward them, and brushing my hand against Brax’s arm then Izzy’s. “I think I just need some time. Time to think this shit over.”
“Take all the time you need,” Izzy offers, her smile warm and genuine. I slide past them and out into the grand hallway. Grabbing my duffel bag from just outside the door, I make my way down the hall, my feet sinking into the lush carpet. I love this place, even if it is like a damn mansion. Swinging my bag over my shoulder, I glance down the large central staircase, the one that meets the huge glass doors at the front of the house. Something strange catches my attention. Dipping my head, I take a closer look. Men. At least five of
them stand outside the door. Rolling my eyes, I can’t fight back the sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. Brax has his men outside the house, and the sudden seriousness of this whole damn situation hits me. Picking up speed, I head toward my favorite of the guest rooms. The view from this room is breathtaking. All you can see for miles are fields and woodland. There’s definitely a feeling of serenity associated with that view. I make my way inside, locating and flicking the light switch before dropping my bag onto the huge bed. I chuckle a little, realizing that nothing here is understated. Huge four-poster bed. Chunky wooden furniture. It must’ve cost a fortune.
“Hey, you sleeping all the way down here?” Izzy asks, as she stands in the doorway, staring at me.
“What?” I say, throwing my hands in the air. “I’m a sucker for that view.” Jutting my thumb over to the window.
“It’s amazing, right?”
“Best view in the house,” I reply, dropping my ass down onto the edge of the bed.
“I brought us a little something. If you want me to stay that is?” She holds up the bottle of bourbon and wiggles her eyebrows. “Might help you sleep.”
Grabbing the bottle, I take it from her, unscrew the cap and press the glass against my lips. Tilting my head back, I allow the liquid to flow, gulping down the amber liquor. Clasping my eyes shut, I try to block out the burn as it slides down my throat, the warmth spreading through my body.
“Jesus,” Izzy gasps. “Go steady.”
Dropping the bottle from my mouth, I swallow with a hiss.
“Shit,” I grumble with a shake of my head. Wiping my mouth with the back of my hand, I offer the bottle back to Izzy. Holding her palm up to me, she declines, but drops beside me on the bed.
“This isn’t like you,” she whispers.
I lazily shrug my shoulders. “I need something to take the edge off.” I lift the bottle, looking directly at it. “Looks like this will do the job.”
I drop my feet to the floor and stumble up from the bed. Glancing down at the bottle, I see that I’ve easily drunk a third of the contents. No wonder my head feels fuzzy.
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