by Jordan Marie
“The battery died,” I lie, though chances are it has now since I didn’t charge it last night.
“You can explain that to the Pres. We need to get back. He wants us with Beast and the others. We’re rolling out to the Saints. It’s bad brother. It’s bad.”
“What the fuck are you talking about?”
“The boys who went on the run last night with Tuck’s club? Man, they rode straight into hell. They were ambushed outside of old county road 329.”
“You’re fucking kidding me? It was a simple damned run!”
“It was supposed to be. They were just picking up that load of—”
“I know what they were picking up,” I growl, stopping him from saying it. I don’t want Bree to hear it. That’s club business and she don’t need to hear that.
“Yeah well... There was a fucking shoot out.”
“Shoot out? Who shot at them?”
“We don’t have any answers, that’s why Skull wants to ride out there. Hell, they may already be gone instead of waiting on us.”
“I don’t understand. Briar and Sabre haven’t said anything?”
“Briar was taken to St. Lutheran, man. He’s shot up pretty bad. It doesn’t look good.”
“Motherfucker!” I yell out. Sabre and Briar are probably my closest brothers besides Keys. The thought of them being hurt and injured and me not there to help them when they needed it, kills me. They’re tough fuckers. I never thought of either one of them taking a bullet. “And Sabre?” I ask, frozen and unable to move to get dressed until I hear.
“He’s missing. That’s all we know. Tucker called Skull and they’re meeting. I don’t know man, we got to get going.”
“I’ll be right out. Just going to get dressed. Call Skull and tell him we’ll meet him on road 899.”
“Jax?” I stop when I see Bree standing at the beginning of the hallway. “What’s wrong?”
“I thought I told you to stay in the bedroom.”
“I heard you yelling and my grandfather’s name,” she says concern on her face.
“Her grandfather? Jesus, Shaft. Dude have you lost your mind?” Keys says coming up behind us. I turn to him, mostly to tell him to mind his own business when I see him staring at Bree. She’s wearing my shirt and it swallows her. It’s a T-shirt, and the short sleeves actually fall closer to her elbows. But, Bree is taller than the average girl, and the hemline falls just below her ass cheeks—giving too good of a view of her legs and thighs. I cross in front of her, blocking her from his sight.
“Keep your eyes to yourself. Fucking bastard,” I growl, pushing his shoulder, and knocking him back a good foot, maybe more.
“I’m a bastard? You’re sticking it to Skull’s niece! Have you got a fucking death wish? Old man Tucker finds out, hell, Skull finds out, they’ll take turns cutting the skin off your body—and you’ll be breathing while they do it.”
“You can’t tell them!” Bree cries, moving around me. “Please. You can’t get Jax into trouble.”
“Jax? Fuck. Don’t worry girl, I won’t rat out my brother. Speaking of which, we better go, or Skull may venture out here to find you himself.”
“I’ll be right back,” I mumble, pulling Bree back into the bedroom. I close the door when we’re inside and go straight to find my jeans.
“Jax…”
“When I tell you to stay somewhere, Bree. You fucking stay.”
“I’m not a dog,” she whispers. I look over my shoulder and she’s standing there, her face heated, wringing her hands nervously.
“Remember the deal? No one knows about us. It’s not even been one fucking day and you already broke the damned rules.”
“I think I’ll just go,” she whispers turning away.
“The fuck you will,” I growl, buttoning my pants and turning around to grab her shoulders and holding her still. “You will stay in this fucking apartment and not leave. You do not open the door, you do not go anywhere.”
“I can’t stay here. My grandfather will be expecting me!”
“There’s no way you’re going back there until we find out what the fuck is going on. Did you not hear what Keys said? I have a brother missing and another in the hospital. Who knows what the fuck is happening, baby. You are not walking into a fucking snake pit until I know you’ll be safe.”
“Why do you care?” she asks and that makes me want to do nothing more than show her exactly how much I care, but I don’t have time for that. My hand wraps against the side of her neck, pulling her face in close to mine.
“Don’t push me on this, Bree. I need to know you’re safe. You might not understand, but after what we’ve shared together, you’re mine, and I take care of what’s mine. So, do not push me, baby girl. You won’t like how I retaliate.” I watch as what I said registers with her. Her eyes widen, and maybe I gave too much away, but it doesn’t matter. I’m keeping Bree, until the world comes crashing in on us—and I have no doubt it will eventually.
“I’ll stay,” she agrees, moistening her lips.
“Good. Now give your man a kiss.”
“You’ll be careful?” she asks, leaning into me when I loosen my hold.
“You’d care?” I ask her, turning her words back on her.
“I’d care…a lot,” she says, and fuck if that pain in my chest doesn’t hit me again.
“Then I’ll make sure to get back to you in one piece. Now, those lips,” I demand.
“Yes, Daddy,” she purrs as our lips connect. My hand moves to her hair, and I can feel the way it trembles. She’s wrapping me around her finger and she doesn’t even know it. Fuck, I’m not even going to try to get away. I don’t want to.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Bree
I stand looking at the door where Jax left. He’s been gone for ten minutes and adrenaline is pumping through my blood. He promised he’d be back. I don’t know what’s going on, but surely Pops wouldn’t hurt them. He’s been doing everything he can to build a bridge between the Devil’s Blaze and the Saints. I may not get into that side of his life much, but he hasn’t made a secret of that. He wants to be closer to his grandchildren. He wants me to have a relationship with Beth and Katie. Still, just to make myself feel better, I hunt my phone and call him.
“Breezy you okay?” Pops asks when he answers the phone. His nickname for me makes me smile. We may have not had a lot of time together, but he really has tried to make things up to me, and I love him; I’m starting to think he loves me too.
“Yeah Pops, I just had a favor to ask.”
“What do you need?”
“I was hoping you’d let me stay with Roxanne a little longer. She’s just getting over a cold, and I’d like to stay and help her.”
“Breezy you’re always trying to help save the world.”
“Pops, you know I love Roxanne. She was good to me when I didn’t have anyone else.”
I should feel guilty here. I’m using Roxanne, who has been nothing but good to me, and I made her promise to lie to Pops if he called her. Roxanne was a club girl when my father was in charge. He treated her horrible. He beat her, he made her service men from other clubs who were quite literally monsters. I remember mornings she’d come in to check on me and she would be black and blue, her lips bruised and bloody, one of her eyes swollen and discolored, and burns on her body. The smart thing would have been to run. And she probably would have…if I hadn’t been around. She stayed around to protect me and she somehow managed to.
When Pops made it clear he wasn’t condoning anything my father did and hadn’t known, she risked her life yet again to tell him about me. I can still remember Pop’s face when he finally found me. I say found me because my father was a bastard and he went to great lengths to keep me hidden. I’m not proud that I wasn’t strong enough to run away, but I wasn’t. I was scared…a scared kid. It’s something I never want to be again.
“How long you going to be gone?” Pops asks, and I shake off thoughts of my past.
&nbs
p; “A week?”
“Okay. Just check in with me every day and let an old man rest knowing his girl is okay. But, when you get back we’re going to have a talk about you traveling to Tennessee without letting anyone know. I have men whose life is dependent on making sure you’re safe.”
“Pops, I told you, Roxy called, and I just bailed without thinking. She’s the closest I’ve ever had to a mom,” I tell him, hating that I’m lying, but I want more time with Jax and desperate times calls for desperate measures.
“We’ll talk about it later Breezy. You know I’ve only ever wanted to make you happy.”
“I know, Pops. I am happy, I promise you. In fact, right now I can tell you I’m the happiest I’ve ever been in my life.”
“You sure, Princess?” I can hear an edge of concern in his voice.
“Positive.”
“Okay. It’s best you not come home right now anyways. There’s some club business going on.”
“Are you okay, Pops?”
“Yeah. My men were blindsided. We’re fine though.”
“What happened?” I ask, pressing and hoping he’ll tell me something.
“It’s club business, Breezy,” he tells me, and I sigh knowing he won’t say anything more.
“I have a right to know if you’re in danger, Pops.”
“Honey I’m a biker, not a fucking accountant. I’m always in danger. It will work out. I got to go now Breezy. Skull is here.”
“What’s he doing there?” I ask, trying again.
“He’s bringing my grandbabies to see me of course, got to go. Call me tomorrow,” he replies and now he’s lying. It seems wrong that the two of us are lying to each other. I stare at my phone with a sigh. I know nothing more than I did before...
I look around the small apartment and curl my nose. It stinks. It’s never been cleaned. I think back to my last conversation with Jax. You’re mine Bree, and I take care of what’s mine. It makes my heart pound in my chest, and I honestly can’t imagine feeling happier than I am right now. That part wasn’t a lie to Pops.
I get an idea in my head. I want to show Jax that he’s mine, and I take care of what’s mine too. Will he think it’s stupid? Maybe, but I’m going to try. He told me to stay here, but I need to go to the store. I shouldn’t be gone more than an hour. He’ll never know it. With a grin, I head out the front door. Jax won’t know what hit him. He’ll never want to let me go!
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Jax
“Any word from Briar or Sabre?” I ask the men when we meet up. The look on their faces says nothing and everything.
“No sign of Sabre. Briar’s hanging on, but it’s not looking good,” Torch says. The words hit me like punches to my gut, robbing me of air and the ability to speak. I just nod my head to let him know I heard him. A couple of minutes pass before the roar of bikes can be heard.
Torch and about five of our best men, including Beast, Latch—who is in on leave, and K-Rex are here. We’re waiting on Skull and a close friend of his who is visiting, Diesel. Diesel is the president of an ally-club that runs out of Tennessee. He’s younger than me. I’d say mid-thirties, and if I didn’t know he was a badass, I’d almost call him a pretty girl. He has long hair he keeps pulled up, or away from his face. He looks like a fucking fashion model playing a biker. The truth is however, he can out shoot, out think, and out drive most bikers that I’ve met.
The cracking sounds of the pipes on their bikes announce they’re getting closer. When they pull up he’s also got one other rider with him. Dancer, the VP from the Savage Brothers club a few counties over. Fuck, I look around at all of us and realize Skull is riding in like he’s going to war. Going to war with Bree’s grandfather. Shit could go bad fast.
Skull doesn’t speak, he doesn’t even stop. He punches his fist in the air and drives on by. We all immediately fire up our bikes, falling in line behind him.
It takes an hour to get to the Saints compound. The old man set it up once he found out Katie and Beth were alive. He wanted to be closer to them. Skull agreed to it and the two have been trying to start over and become two clubs that are allies rather than enemies. It’s not been easy as old hates and attitudes die hard, especially among our kind. Yet, it seemed to be working. Which was why Briar and Sabre were on this run with Tucker’s men. Now, it seems, everything is blown to hell. The high chain-linked gate to the fence that encloses the Saint’s compound is closed. It’s at least ten feet high with a string of electric enforced barbwire around the top. Tucker is standing on the other side with ten of his men. He’s never been pretty, but today he looks like complete shit. His white hair looks as if it hasn’t been brushed or hell, even washed. His shirt hangs tight over his beer-belly and is stained red…blood. He looks pale and worried and fuck, he should be.
He makes a movement with his hand and the gate slides back slowly, allowing us to enter. Once Skull, Torch, and Beast have entered and shut off their bikes, Dancer and Diesel follow suit while the rest of us fall in line behind them. Silence reigns for a few minutes as everyone sizes each other up. I watch as Skull gets off his bike.
“Do we talk here?” Skull asks, his voice hoarse. He’s hurting. Skull is a hard son of a bitch, but he cares about his men and he, Sabre, and Briar have fought many a war together.
“Are we going to talk or did you come here to shoot first and ask questions later?” Tucker asks.
“Talk, but if your answers are shit, one of us isn’t getting out of this alive,” Skull says as if he doesn’t give a fuck which way it goes.
“You and two others, only,” Tucker orders.
“And who will be with you?”
“Only Granger,” Tucker says, naming his VP.
The move is strange, and you can tell the rest of the Saints aren’t happy with the decision. I’m sensing some undercurrents and my gut tells me there’s something bigger going on here. I trust my gut. It’s kept me alive this long.
Skull tells Dancer and Beast something and then he, Diesel, and Torch walk inside. It doesn’t surprise me he takes Diesel in with him, nor that he leaves Dancer outside without a word to his other men. The main officers in our club are Skull, then Torch is the Vice President, Beast is our enforcer, and the other members of standing are Sabre and Briar…which leaves us fucking short of some good men. This whole thing is messed up as hell. I look behind me and see Keys staring at me. He’s got a look on his face I don’t like. I wish like fuck he hadn’t seen Bree this morning. I have no idea how I’m going to contain him.
At the thought of Bree, I instantly remember this morning. Not that it has really left my mind since it happened. It’s a foregone conclusion now that I’m claiming her. I’m just wondering how long I have with her before either her grandfather or Skull demand my blood. The reasons to leave her alone are staggering, but there’s only one I’m listening to. She’s mine. I never believed in fate, but the minute I saw her walk through the door at the club, I knew. It doesn’t matter that it’s only been days, it doesn’t matter that I’m way too old for her. She’s mine. Maybe it is fate. Maybe Bree is my destiny. I’ve always known fate has a twisted sense of humor. Bree is all wrong for me, but nothing else has ever felt so right, and I can’t think past that right now. I’m not even going to try.
Chapter Thirty
Bree
Okay, I know I’m pushing it. I stayed out for about an hour going to the grocery store and buying some things to clean up Jax’s apartment. I kept looking over my shoulder. More concerned my grandfather would find me than anything. I know Jax told me to stay here, but really, I just went to the store; there’s not much harm in that. I stayed in the public eye the whole time. Men just tend to over react to things. Though, if I wanted to be honest, I like that Jax worries about me.
I’m getting a little worried. He’s been gone for the better part of the day. I made him supper, though as I started cooking, I realized that I know nothing about what Jax likes to eat. For all I know he could be a vegetarian.
Though, something about the man screams meat and potatoes to me. Well, really it screams let me jump on top of you and ride you like a pony, but that’s beside the point.
Dinner is ready, and I’ve got the food sitting in the oven under the light to keep it warm. The oven is still heated from the cake that I baked. I was going to watch television. That’s when I realized he doesn’t have cable. There’s a TV and a DVD player—but unless I want to watch porn, then it’s out. I’ve watched porn before, but I don’t really get into it, and it’s not so much that I’m against it, but the titles don’t inspire me to watch at all. There’s a choice of three. It appears my man only likes compilation videos. We have the Best Money Shots of 1999, Best Boobs on the Beach, and The complete works of Muffy Diamond. Seriously. Muffy Diamond. I can’t even.
I noticed a Redbox near the apartment and that brings me to why I’m pushing my luck. I’m walking to the local pharmacy. It’s only about a five-minute walk, and the kiosk for Red Box is there. I wonder what kind of movies Jax likes? I can’t see him watching romantic comedies. I hope he’s not a horror movie buff. His porn was 1999, I think with a laugh. Maybe I can get the Die Hard movies. Everyone likes those, right? And it’s close to Christmas so it fits.
“Aubree! Didn’t expect to see you here!”
I look up to see Jeff standing on the sidewalk across the street. I smile, despite wishing I hadn’t seen him. I don’t want anyone to know I’m here. There will be less chance of Pops finding out I’m still in Kentucky if no one sees me and honestly it’s crazy, but I know this will make Jax unhappy. I have this need to make him happy—to be the reason he smiles.
“Hi, Jeff. What are you doing here?” I ask, while walking across the street to him.
“Out doing some Christmas shopping. I thought you were going out of town for a few days?” he asks and I frown. How would he have heard that?