Needing Me, Wanting You

by C. M. Stunich

  “Well, your brother is pissed the fuck off after last night. I guess your friends caught a gander at the cuffs and the gag.” Beck shrugs and finishes off his cigarette. His red hair is brilliant in the sunshine, a shade lighter than mine. If I had to name the colors, I'd say he had ruby red and I had red wine. Subtle, but definitely different. “And before you even ask, I'll tell you. The man my Pres spoke with was named Tax. Do we have the right guy?” My heart swells and I nearly collapse with relief. I assumed that Darren was okay, but knowing for sure, that makes me feel a hell of a lot better. “Guess so,” Beck drawls when I don't answer. “After what he saw,” he continues, voice losing some of its humor. “He's not so happy with us. And Austin's not so happy with him. We had an arrangement to meet in a week, but your guys are still trolling around looking for you.”

  “So what happens now?” I ask as Beck tosses the pink flip flops at my feet. He grins again. It seems like it's almost impossible to keep the expression off of his face. It's okay though, at least for me, because I don't mind it. Makes the world seem a little less bleak.

  “Now you get to meet the club.”

  My heart stops.

  “Triple M?” I ask, even though I know that's exactly what he means. This strange, nomadic club with their weird rules and their women in patches. On their own bikes. With balls of steel. I almost feel physically sick. I've been weirdly obsessed with them for awhile now, weaving fantasies in my brain. Meeting Beck was strange enough, but to see the entire group, colors flying, eyes narrowed on me. I blink a couple of times to clear my head. There's a good chance they could blame me for the deaths of their club members. Beck has already told me he wouldn't touch me without my permission, but what about the rest of the club?

  “You alright there, Miss Emilie?” I look at him and steel my expression. Whatever happens, I can deal. Just like I was willing to sleep with Beck to try and escape, I can take anything they throw at me, just as long as it keeps more people from losing their lives. I can sacrifice myself for the good of Seventy-seven Brothers and die happy for it. Can't I?

  “I'm fine,” I tell him as he reaches out and grabs me by the wrists, hauling me forward and pulling me into his arms. Like we're friends instead of strangers. It's a little unnerving. Beck breathes in my hair and laughs against my scalp, pulling out some stray strands of grass with his fingers.

  “You don't look fine. You look like you swallowed a damn cactus, and down the wrong pipe, too. Listen here, Miss Emilie, I told you, you ain't got nothing to worry about with me. Nobody in Triple M's gonna rough you up, babe.”

  I smile, but I'm not a hundred percent certain that I believe him. I guess I'll be finding out soon enough. I take a step back and struggle to keep the loose jeans from falling down my hips. I have a feeling that if they do, Beck and I might just forget about other things and climb back in the grass.

  “Thank you, Beck. You've been a pretty gracious fucking kidnapper.” He laughs again and scoots forward on his ride, patting the seat behind him.

  “Well, thank you, sugar. You've been a mighty fine kidnap victim, if I do say so myself. Now, hop on. I can trust you not to leap off mid-ride?”

  “I've given up trying to escape at this point, Beck.” My smile gets a little more real, and he nods his head. I can tell he hears the truth in my voice. I could, maybe, if I keep trying. It seems like despite his words last night, he is starting to trust me. The question I have for myself is: do I want to betray that trust?

  Beck

  Chapter 16

  “Whatcha listening to back here, boss?” I drawl, moving through the Triple M'ers guarding the back gate and pausing in an overgrown yard. I have to admit, I rode by the place twice before Kimmi flagged me down, dressed in a black leather corset and short shorts. Tease's eyes immediately locked onto my best good friend and haven't moved since. Granted, we just climbed off the fuckin' bike and walked in here, but still. I think she's impressed. I grin. Kimmi certainly makes an interesting impression on folks.

  “Scar Tissue,” Austin drawls right back, dropping his head, so that he can stare at me from his position on a lounge chair. Doesn't look like he's been doin' much lounging though. His face is drawn and tight and his muscles are stiff as a dead man's. He's slumped there, but he's anything but relaxed. “By the Red Hot Chili Peppers.”

  “Oh come the fuck on, brother,” I laugh as I move forward, stepping over a cracked angel statue with a missing head. My heart is racing like crazy, but I'm tryin' to keep my cool. Being separated from the gang was odd. I ain't been away from these stupid fuckers for a long time, especially not in times o' crisis. Now I have to come in and look at these faces and count the ones that aren't here anymore. My hands squeeze into fists, and I can almost feel the ink drilled into my flesh. Hopeless.

  “I thought you'd be happy it wasn't Nickelback again,” Austin groans, rising to his feet. He's got a beer in his right hand, but it doesn't look like he's taken a single sip of it. We hug each other briefly and take a step back, his eyes going straight to Tease. I step to the side so Austin can get a good look at her, wearing her leather jacket and my baggy jeans. She looks ridiculously beautiful. I don't think she has a fuckin' clue how good. I stifle my raging hormones and get out a cigarette, trying to keep this as civil as possible. There's going to be some animosity towards Tease, no doubt about it. People fuckin' died yesterday. But I also promised that nothing was going to happen to her and I meant it.

  “Austin Sparks, this is Emilie Hathorne.” I pause as her green eyes shift over to mine. “But you can call her Tease.” Austin just stands there, his expression virtually unreadable. He's stressing out, I can tell. Thank the fuckin' stars I'm back today. Time to whip his ass back into shape.

  “You're still alive? Damn. I was hoping I'd never have to see your ass again,” Mireya says, moving down the steps from the house and pausing on the patio. I toss her a wink that she smiles at, and wait for Gaine to come over and give me another bro hug. If you're scared to hug your brothers, you got some serious issues. Work that shit out.

  His turn to look at Tease. Right away, a frown tweaks his face. He ain't happy with me. I know he knows we slept together. Perceptive little fucker. Kimmi's probably the only one that won't mind. Think she might've been checking Tease out.

  “Goddamn it, Beck,” Gaine whispers under his breath, exchanging a look with Austin. My friend rubs at the blonde stubble on his chin and shakes his head, turning his attention back to Tease and her hot mess of an outfit. I'll have to get one of the girls to lend her some clothes. I'm almost scared to though. Imagine if she looks that good in an ugly ass outfit how she's going to look in tight pants and a wife-beater. I reach down and adjust myself, getting yet another scowl from Gaine, the Goddamn fairytale fucking princess. I think he's slept with maybe three ladies since he joined the club. I don't know who's happier that he and Mireya got hitched – them or me.

  “What?” I ask him, holding out my arm to indicate the gorgeous girl by my side. “We have a mutual attraction is all.” I try to keep my voice down, but I'm sure the word will spread. That's okay though. Ain't a single soul here man enough to say anything to my face. Well, except for these stupid fuckers.

  “I knew it,” Kimmi hisses, diamond earrings swinging as she steps up on my right side and puts her hands around my bicep. “You did fuck her. I knew you were a slut, but sleeping with the enemy? Desperate much?” I just laugh and reach over, curling my arm around Tease's waist and dragging her against me. She looks almost as shocked as Austin.

  “Boy meets girl and magic happens, lady love. Get over yourself. Y'all are just jealous.”

  “Jealous is hardly the word I was lookin' for,” Austin says, meeting Tease's gaze. “I know you weren't there, but we suffered yesterday.”

  “So did we,” she replies, chin raised, already in defense mode. “You lost ten; we lost eight. And I still don't know the names of my fallen brothers, so I can grieve properly. I'm not here to start trouble. My only goal is to get
this worked out without more blood being shed.”

  Austin stands stone still, brown eyes so focused on Tease's that I start to get worried. I don't know what he's going to ask me to do with her. I won't sit around and watch her be ridiculed or beat up or nothin' like that. But I also don't want to defy my President, especially not when his hold on the group is so tenuous, when any-fucking-thing could happen.

  “I also wanted to ask you if I could speak with my President.” Goddamn this girl never gives up, does she? “I think there's a strong possibility that the person who shot your club member wasn't a part of either MC. I need to let him know my thoughts.” Tease runs her tongue over her lower lip. “I swear on Seventy-seven Brothers that I won't say a thing about your position. My only interest at this point is in ending this peacefully.”

  “Well spoken, sugar tits,” I laugh, but nobody's laughing alongside me. That's alright, happens all the damn time. Austin stands there in silence, examining this girl like he isn't sure what to think. In my opinion, Tease has got a little bit of that same quiet rebellious streak that Amy has. I think if he gives her a chance, the two of them could be friends. Kimmi leans forward and peers around me, mouth slightly parted, eyes curious. Tease glances over at her, and I notice that her eyes take in Kimmi's fingers on my arm. She don't like it, not one fuckin' bit. What the hell is going on here?

  “Alright,” Austin says, surprising the hell out of me. “Come with me, and I'll let you make the call.”

  “What the hell?” I ask, releasing my arm from around Tease's waist and following after them into the house. It's mostly empty in here, filled with sleeping bags and blankets. Looks like we're camping out, I guess. It's good cover, but I can't imagine that anyone's happy holed up in here. We need to take care of this shit sooner rather than later. At least the bikes are hidden in the three car garage out back. That's a nice fuckin' feature. Now that Kent's gone and fucked up our shit, I'm starting to wonder if it isn't time for a clubhouse. Triple M's always been nomadic, and that's worked for us, but now, it might be time to take a different approach.

  I run my hand through my hair as Austin leads us to the kitchen, pausing next to Amy and Christy. They both turn to look at Tease. Christy's still got that scared shitless look on her face, but Amy smiles.

  “Hi,” she says, taking in Tease's odd outfit with sympathy. “Amy Cross.” She holds out her hand while Austin looks on possessively, body tense like he thinks Tease is going to hurt his precious little lady. What a goofy bastard.

  “Tease,” Emilie says, introducing herself and shaking Amy's hand in a firm grip. Her gaze is open and calculating. I can only wonder what she's thinking about. Seems like you either love or hate our group. Somehow I find myself caring about Tease's opinion, like it even matters if she approves of us or not. “It's nice to meet you, Amy.” Tease gives her a smile, too, and steps forward to accept the cellphone in Austin's outstretched fingers.

  “Two minutes or less. Don't make me regret this,” he tells her, moving up to Amy and putting his hands on either side of her hips. Tease licks her lips again and dials a number from memory, lifting the phone up to her face. I notice that she refuses to meet my eyes while she's waiting for an answer. It's a small thing, shouldn't mean anything to me. Tease is just another little bunny in my bed, but she sure as hell knows how to grab my attention. I find myself with my hands on my hips, waiting for the call to be finished, just so we can lock eyes again.

  “Tax, it's Tease,” she says and her voice gets soft. I can tell she loves her brother, but that she's also a bit scared of 'im. There's no emotional outburst from either side, at least not that I can hear, but Tease's breathing speeds up and her hand fists in her shirt. “I'm fine, really. It wasn't what it looked like.” I grin again and notice a few sets of eyes turning to look my way. Oh, hell yeah it was. “Tax, I think there's more to this shooting than first meets the eye.” Tease glances up and meets Austin's stern expression. “I don't think it was anyone from Triple M.” Another pause. “I can't, Tax. I tried, but it doesn't seem like a possibility.” Tease cringes, like maybe she ain't used to standing up to her brother. Wouldn't surprise me at all. Look at the back of her jacket. I let my eyes trace the pair of sevens there, the patches that proclaim who she belongs to. Bothers me a little. I don't have a fuckin' clue why, but I get the strongest urge to rip it off her shoulders then. Fuck.

  I continue to smoke my cigarette, nodding my head at Triple M'ers and winking at some of the ladies. The general feeling in the air here is anger, rage. Frustration. Triple M wants vengeance; Seventy-seven Brothers wants vengeance. This is not going to turn out well, is it? Shoot.

  “Tax, I think we can make a clean exchange.” Tease looks at Austin and then holds out the phone, her lips pursed and her facial expression unreadable. He takes it from her with a nervous flick of his tongue over his lower lip.

  “You should listen to your sister. Clean exchange, no blood shed.” Austin pauses. “I don't know what else you want me to say to you, sir. I'm tryin' to be polite here, but it isn't easy.” Austin takes a step away from Amy and leans against the peeling wallpaper at his back. “Let me talk to my crew and see what I can come up with.” And then he hangs up.

  Gaine and I exchange a glance. Tease remains motionless, almost completely frozen. The jeans are sagging down her hips, but she doesn't make any move to lift them up. Her blinking eyes are the only sign of life that I can see.

  “Can I talk to y'all for a moment?” Austin asks, looking at Tease and then over at Mireya. Gaine's wife rolls her eyes and shakes her head, throwing her hands up in the air and cursing in Spanish.

  “Why has my whole life been reduced to taking care of runaway bitches?”

  “Mireya,” Austin warns, but she ignores him.

  “Madre Mia. What a joke. I get to dress up the enemy's ol' lady.” Mireya lights up a cigarette and tucks some dark hair behind her ear, giving Tease a dirty once-over. “Might as well get you out of those clothes, honey.” Mireya's dark eyes move over to mine, and I grin at her hard, wishin' like hell that the next thing out of her mouth wasn't going to be caustic as a hog's piss. “From the looks of you, it doesn't seem like that's a very difficult task.”

  “What the fuck did you just say to me, bitch?” Tease explodes, turning into a very different woman than the one I spent the day with yesterday. Some of that pride, that fierce loyalty to her MC, it all explodes in a rush.

  “What, you thought sleeping with Beck would get you special treatment? You're our prisoner here, so whether you like it or not, you're going to take my shit. You can be my old fucking lady while you're here.”

  “Whoa there,” I say, stepping between the two of them before a fight can break out. Mireya looks like she wants it bad. I don't know if she sees some of herself in Tease maybe. Could be old guilt and pain coming out right now, so I try not to be angry. As an emotion, it's generally useless. Won't get you nowhere that a hard right hook and a mean grin can't achieve. “No need for squabbles. Just get the girl some clothes and try to be nice. Remember where you come from, Mireya,” I say, touching Tease's arm. She pulls it away from me, suddenly uncomfortable in the midsts of all these people. Granted, most of the club is hanging out in the doorways and watching. Our green gazes meet, but Tease doesn't give me anything in her look. “Chin up there, sugar,” I tell her as Mireya rolls her eyes and turns on the heel of her boot, moving towards the hallway in the back. Tease pulls her attention away from me and follows after. I hope like hell there isn't going to be an explosion back there. We've had enough cat fights as of late. I like 'em as much as the next guy, but if I ain't around to watch … You know, if a tree falls in the forest and nobody's around to hear it, does it make sound? It's that sorta thing, ain't it?

  “What are we discussing?” Gaine asks as Austin moves back into the yard and retrieves his beer from the arm of the lounge chair. Kimmi and I follow along after him, and wait in a semi-circle while Austin takes a drink. “Who's going to take the fall for the sho
oting? Because I thought we were done with that.”

  “Take the fall?” I ask, scratching my chin. “What the hell are you talking about?”

  “Seventy-seven Brothers wants somebody to step forward and take responsibility. We surrender that person to their mercy, give 'em back the girl, and they promise us a two day head start.” Austin shakes his head as he says this, like he can't even believe we ended up in this position.

  “What kind of shitty ass deal is that? We have to sacrifice yet another innocent club member just to appease them?” I scoff and reach out for the beer, snatching it from his hand and downing the rest of the liquid in a single gulp. If I had the time or leisure, I would be gettin' shit faced tonight. There're too many damn emotions swirling around in my fuckin' head. Worst part about it is, the main concern that's driftin' through my gray matter has nothing to do with clubs or deals or any of that shit. It's Tease. “Fuckin' Christ on a cracker,” I swear, moving over to a table and snagging another beer. At least it looks like there's plenty to go around.

  “That's not what he's asking for this time though,” Austin says, ruffling his sandy hair with his fingers. “Right now he's asking for a straight up exchange, Tease for Melissa. I guess he and his boys saw something last night that's got him up in arms. We do a straight trade, and then they give us a day's head start. After that, the gauntlets are thrown and we're in a full on war.” My friend glares at me, but I just shrug, the leather of my jacket crinkling.

  “Honestly, how's that any worse than what he wanted before? In my opinion, it's a hell of a lot better. You should be thanking me.”

  “Beck, seriously?” Gaine asks, fuckin' hoity-toity little dreamer that he is. “How could you sleep with that girl? Her people killed ten of yours. Ten.”