Wanted: An Outlaw Anthology

by Lane Hart

  “You don’t own me! You can’t make those decisions for me. I’m staying.”

  When I turn and see the determination in her eyes, I gasp. She’s headstrong, I’ll give her that much. I take her in from head to toe as she stands there with her arms crossed over her chest. The beauty that radiates off her is perfect but it’s the determination in her eyes that guts me. Charlie holds more power in her than I originally realized and that’s something you don’t find often in a woman like her. Charlie isn’t afraid of me or afraid to stand up to me for what she wants and that draws me in. Everything about Charlie calls to me. She makes me feel stronger and at this point, that’s what I need. I need the strength that she offers.

  “What makes you think that I want you to stay?” I mimic her stance and cross my arms over my chest glaring back at her.

  “When did I ask for your opinion?” she challenges me back.

  “This isn’t a game, Charlie. This isn’t some little story you read in a book. This is real life! You got hurt. You’ll continue to get hurt until I can fix this shit, do you get that?” Her eyes narrow on me and I can practically feel the heat rushing off her in waves.

  “I want to watch them all die. I want to see them suffer for what they did to me, and if you don’t have the balls to help me do that, I will do it on my own. You don’t know everything there is to know about me, Savage,” she warns me through gritted teeth. My chest tightens but my cock leaps to life. Having her stand there and challenge me like this resonates deep inside of me. I’ve never cared enough to fight someone else’s battle but this was never hers to begin with. It was all mine.

  “You could end up dead. You could end up in jail bein’ with me, Charlie.” I can’t tell her, I can’t tell any of them that I’m in with the fucking Feds, but she needs to know the risks of staying here, of staying with me.

  “They already killed a part of me. There is nothing more for them to take.” Shaking my head, I run my hand through my hair and tug. She’s stubborn as fuck.

  “Things are gonna happen soon and it’s not gonna be pretty.”

  “Are you trying to scare me away, Savage? It’s not working.”

  “I’m not tryin’ to scare you away. I’m tryin’ to make you see the fuckin’ facts that sit right in front of that pretty little face of yours! You stumbled into this shit one drunken night, Charlie!” The slight smirk on her face stuns me but also pisses me off. There’s more to this story that I don’t know. There’s more to her, I can see it in that smirk and in those goddamn captivating eyes.

  “Maybe I didn’t stumble into it. Maybe I walked into it with my eyes wide open.”

  Now it’s my turn to narrow my gaze on her. What the fuck is she trying to say? I know how we met. We were both drunk. “What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”

  Charlie moves quickly around the room, grabbing a pair of jeans and tugging them on. “It means just what I said. I’m not some helpless little girl, Savage. I can handle myself.” Watching her put her bra and shirt on, I see a new side of Charlie. A side I didn’t know she had in her, but as I watch her move through the room, grabbing her things, I see it. The side that she hid from me.

  “You better start talkin’, darlin’!” I roar. Charlie grabs her tennis shoes and turns to face me, that smirk still in place.

  She cocks her head to the side and studies me when she asks, “Do you know me, Savage?” What the hell is with her? Where did that crying sobbing little girl go?

  “I know that you’re headstrong. I know you want somethin’ in life but you won’t say what it is. I also know that you make me feel good when you’re next to me but I know it’d never last.” Her cocky smirk slips from her face. Her mouth gapes open and it takes a moment for her to collect herself.

  “Why couldn’t it last? Why do you talk so negatively about yourself?”

  Fuck! I don’t need this kind of questioning from her. I don’t need to feel vulnerable to her and that’s exactly what I feel. I could open up and tell her every last fucking detail of what I’m doing but the end result remains the same. The only thing I’m doing is saving my club. This has nothing to do with me as a president or as a member. Not even me as a man. This is all for my club. I took a vow to be the leader and be the best that I can, leading my brothers to a better life, even if it is our fucked up way of life. When I made that deal with Bryon, I knew what the end game would be. I’m a traitor to my brothers and a traitor to Charlie. No matter how you spin the web, you’ll always get caught in it someplace. My web of lies was spun the day I agreed to help Bryon and became a rat. I sacrificed myself for the better of my club. There is nothing more I can do to redeem myself aside from seeing this shitty ass plan through and finishing what I started.

  “I speak the facts, Charlie. There are so many things wrong in this world, in this club, in me. When I took the gavel and the patch, I knew what I was. Over the past month, I’ve lost focus of that. I lost focus of who I was and what I wanted, but you know what I realized when I met you?”

  She watches me intently but doesn’t know how to respond and I can’t say that I blame her.

  “What?”

  “I realized that who I am today was who I was meant to be. That we all have our time to shine and this is mine. I know what the outcome is for me but it doesn’t have to be that way for you. You can be somethin’, Charlie. You don’t have to rot in hell for takin’ revenge. Let me do it. I’m goin’ down anyway. Let me carry that burden for you. Go live your life and find out who you are.”

  Charlie is silent for a long time. Neither of us move or say a word, just letting the words I spoke seep into our minds. There are few things in life that I know for sure but my ending is one of them. This isn’t a fairy tale where we all live happily ever after. This is testament to my life and the decisions I’ve made in them. Nothing good can come from me being who I am. As much as I want to believe in redemption, I don’t. A man who kills and takes lives without question, a man who sells his soul to the devil himself can’t be redeemed. These are all things that I know and I’ve learned over the years of being the President of the Dark Savage MC.

  “It never ceases to amaze me the way you think you can scare me away.”

  “That isn’t what this is, Charlie. This is truth!” I growl loudly. Someone knocking on the door pulls my attention from hers. I stalk over and throw the door open to see Thorn standing there with a grin on his face. That is until he sees mine.

  “What the fuck happened to you?” he asks, nodding toward my face.

  “Nothin’. What is it?”

  “Don’t fuckin’ nothin’ me. Your face is busted up, brother!”

  “What the fuck do you want, Thorn? I’m in the middle of somethin’!” Thorn drags his eyes from mine to Charlie and back again. My stomach knots when he drags them back to Charlie and lingers there.

  “Heard a few things that I thought you might wanna know about. Was gonna call church and bring it all to the table.”

  “Fuckin’ call it then but give me a few to handle this and get rid of her.” Charlie snickers behind me but I ignore her.

  “I think you might wanna rethink that, brother,” Thorn says finally pulling his gaze from Charlie and looking back at me. Confusion rushes my brain as I glare at him. What the hell does that mean?

  “Why the fuck do I need to rethink that? I already made the choice. She don’t have shit to do with this club. She ain’t my old lady or a club whore. Who the fuck do you think you are?” My voice thunders through the room. Thorn runs his hand through his hair and glances around the hallway before finally looking back at me.

  “I’m just askin’ you to wait until after church before you decide what to do with her.”

  “I’m standing right here, you bastards! I can hear you both and I don’t plan on going anywhere until this shit is finished!” Charlie screams behind us, but I don’t pay any attention to her. I don’t need her shit right now on top of his.

  “What needs finished?” Thorn asks
looking past me to her, a pissed off glint in his eyes. What the hell is going on around here?

  “Nothin’ needs finished. Go call church. I’ll be there in a minute,” I tell him, trying to push him back a step but he doesn’t move. Charlie does though. She darts past me, shoving Thorn in the chest, but he doesn’t move.

  “Whatever you’re trying to do, don’t. We have this shit handled.” The interaction between the two throws me off my game. I’ve never seen them interact more than a handful of times before this and it was never this heated. Something is wrong and that fact is eating away at the back my mind.

  “Do you? Does your daddy think it’s handled?” Thorn hisses at her, causing her to take a step back.

  “Don’t you pull that shit, Thorn!”

  “What the fuck is goin’ on here? What do you fuckin’ know that I don’t, Thorn?” I ask looking to him and ignoring her. Charlie’s hands come to rest on my now heaving chest. She tries to push me back and talk to me but I can’t focus on her now. I need to know what the fuck he knows. I know there is something else that neither of them are telling me.

  “Let’s just go in the room and talk about this, Savage. Let me explain what’s happening.”

  Shaking my head, I don’t want to fucking hear it. I want to know what the hell I’m missing and what’s happening inside my own goddamn club! I push Charlie off me, causing her to stumble to the side but she comes back just as persistent as ever.

  “Let’s talk in the room, Savage,” she asks, her eyes searching mine.

  I refuse to look at her. My eyes remain on Thorn’s, waiting on my VP to tell me what the fuck is going on. It’s not going to be something I’m going to like, I can feel it. My skin crawls and a sweat breaks out over my skin.

  “Please, Savage!” Charlie begs but my eyes harden on Thorn.

  He runs his hands through his hair, looks up at me and says, “She’s workin’ with the Feds.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Imagine that. Played from both directions and I never saw it fucking coming. I guess that’s on me too. I should have known better than to fall for someone like Charlie, someone who deserves better than who I am , and now I know just how far out she is. She was an outsider and I drug her in. Dragging my hand through my long unruly hair, I glance between the two of them, unsure what to say. Charlie’s eyes are full of tears, but behind those tears I see there’s something more that she isn’t telling me.

  “What is it?” I ask keeping my gaze on hers. Her cheeks flush but she just shakes her head. She doesn’t want to give up any more of her secrets.

  “You fucked me over,” I grumble under my breath, my heart beating in my ears. To say I’m pissed would be wrong because I’m fucking livid, but who the hell am I to say anything? The thought just occurred to me that she may know that I’m working with Bryon but she hasn’t brought that to Thorn’s attention and I sure as hell won’t either. Thorn shifts from foot to foot, clearly uncomfortable with the whole situation just as much as I am.

  “I didn’t. I haven’t.” Charlie tries to protest but I don’t want to hear it. I wonder how much she gave up on this club?

  “You did! You fuckin’ lied right to my face, Charlie! What the hell are you doin’ in my club?” I snap. I lose control and lunge at her. Wrapping my hand around her neck, I slam her body against the wall. She gasps and a small cry escapes her lips as her head bounces off the drywall. Thorn takes a step back leaving me some space, knowing he’d better not intervene. I’m so fucking close to Charlie I can nearly taste her on my lips, stealing her breath.

  “It’s not what you think, Savage,” she pleads, trying to suck in that precious air that her body needs, but I don’t give a damn. Not now. I’m in that place inside of me that gives no fucks and doesn’t see remorse. I’m lost to the inner turmoil that swirls its black tentacles around my mind in a haze, nearly blinding me to anything but the kill.

  “That’s a good line, darlin’. Think I haven’t heard that one before?” I lower my voice to a deadly tone and level my gaze to her, so close she almost can’t focus on my face. I need her to be able to see, feel, and hear the rage in me. The animal, the savage that I am, a hair’s trigger away from detonation, ready to explode and take her down with me.

  “Let me explain. Please!” she begs, tears falling down her cheeks.

  Beg me? Fucking begging me to let her explain what the fuck she’s doing in my club while she’s in with the Feds? That’s when reason parts the dark clouds of turmoil. A sliver of light shines in, making me pause. I should give her that chance, after all I am a fucking rat myself. I’ll listen but the rage continues to simmer just below the surface. I glance over at Thorn, but he isn’t any help. He shrugs his shoulders and watches me intently.

  “You have twenty minutes to get it all out in the open or I blow your fuckin’ pretty little head off in front of all my brothers,” I hiss. It’s loud and angry and with just enough evil to make her shudder. Looking over at Thorn, I say, “Call church in twenty minutes.” He nods and turns on his heel to walk away but not before he throws Charlie the nastiest look I’ve ever seen the man give. I chuckle because she deserves worse than that. She deserves to be killed right here and now, but for some fucked up reason, I want to hear what she has to say. She couldn’t have been the rat this whole time. There’s no way possible. Charlie came in after the deal was made, so where the hell does she fit into this mess?

  I release my grip on Charlie and close the door before turning to face her, my body tight with tension. I can’t even begin to describe what’s running through me right now. Pure adrenaline and anger fuel me on.

  “Get talkin’,” I roar, causing her to shake. Crossing my arms over my chest, I glare at her before leaning against the door waiting on her to speak. I can see the fear in her with me closing off her only exit out of here.

  “Initially I was supposed to get in and get inside information and report back,” she starts but I stop her there.

  “Are you a Fed?” Charlie shakes her head slowly confusing me further.

  “My father is. He sent me in knowing that I could relay information that would be useful in bringing your MC down.”

  “And you gave it,” I deadpan.

  “At first, I gave him small things, but then I stopped giving him anything.”

  “What the hell does that mean?” I question her. She just stopped giving him information?

  “It means that I started feeling different around you, Savage. It means that I didn’t want to give him everything I knew about you,” she says softly, lowering her eyes to the floor in front of her.

  “Still not makin’ sense here, Charlie. Spit it the fuck out before I really get pissed!” Seething with anger, I shove off the wall and take the few steps back toward her, reaching for her chin and forcing her gaze to mine. The look I see startles me. It’s not only truth but lust and admiration in that gaze of hers. It can’t be.

  “I feel something for you, toward you… I don’t fucking know, Savage! But the more I’m with you, the safer I feel and I don’t want anything to happen to you!”

  I pull my hand away from her like her words physically burned me.

  “You don’t feel shit for me,” I hiss.

  “Except I do. I don’t know what just yet but I feel it.”

  “You don’t want to die so now you feel all these feelin’s for me? That it?” Charlie shakes her head but I can feel it too, I just don’t want to admit it. That would be a weakness and I can’t afford that right now. Not when I’m in this deep.

  “You know that’s not it, Savage! You saved me more than once. I killed for you!”

  She’s right on both accounts, but who am I to decide her fate? Haven’t I taken enough from this girl? Tugging at my hair, I run my hand down my face before pacing the room.

  “I don’t understand how I was so fuckin’ stupid. How I didn’t see this shit comin’?” The questions are geared toward myself, but the more I think, the more I become heated. I should
have followed my gut, I should have known.

  Fuck. Fuck.

  “Who else knows you’re here?” I spin to look at her but her face is blank.

  “Just my father.”

  “But you know there’s a rat in my club, yeah?”

  “I knew but I wasn’t informed as to who it was or what they were doing here. All I know is what I was supposed to do,” she says, sounding a little pissed at herself.

  “This is bullshit. You work with the Feds and don’t know who the fuckin’ rat is talkin’ to the Feds?” I ask her. Charlie shakes her head and I can tell by the look in her eyes that she’s telling the truth. At least she’s not lying to me.

  “How do you know there’s a rat?”

  Fuck! There’s my inquisitive girl. Too fucking smart and focused for her own good. I knew she’d pick up on that.

  “I don’t think that’s any of your goddamn concern.”

  “We all have secrets, right, Savage?”

  “Some of us more than others,” I say keeping my eyes trained on her. She can read me, I know she can, but the question is will she act on what she’s seeing in me? Charlie lets out a breath and scratches at her neck before she sighs.

  “The only thing he knows is that you are into gun running. That’s all I told him but they already knew that. He’s pushed me for more but I haven’t responded. In fact, I haven’t even checked in with him.”

  “Why the hell not? You want him to come in here raidin’ my place lookin’ for you? Was that the goddamn plan?” I snarl.

  “No and he won’t do it. He probably thinks I’m dead by now.”

  “Why the fuck would he think that?”

  “Because I was just a pawn in all this, Savage. Don’t you see that? I was nothing more than a tool that could be used, and to be honest, I had already given up on ever having anything good in my life so I went with it. I walked into the fucking lion’s den and this is what I ended up with!” She throws her arms out to the sides to make her point and my chest tightens.