by Brook Wilder
“She’s dead. I have no one other than my father.”
Warning lights went off in my head as I watched her, wondering what she was playing at. Part of me wanted to believe her story, take her out of the mix selfishly and… well, protect her.
The other half knew better. Faye had shown me the first night that she was more than capable of taking care of herself and knew what she was doing when it came to men in general. I had seen more than enough to prove that point.
She drew in a shuddering breath and glanced back at me, her eyelashes spiked with tears.
“You have to believe me. I didn’t want any of this. I-I want to go home.”
“Yeah, well, not yet,” I answered briskly, standing.
My hands were itching to touch her, to comfort her, but I knew it was the wrong move. If I did so, I might not be able to let go, and then she would sucker me into God knows what.
“I’m taking you to see the leader of the Frontier Reapers in the morning. He wants to talk to you.”
She nodded, her face pale.
“Will he… I mean, is he going to hurt me?”
I held in a laugh. Brendan might do a lot of things, but striking a woman was not something he had ever done to my knowledge. Besides, Laura would kill him if she ever found out.
“No,” I finally said, keeping a straight face. “He won’t hurt you. He just wants answers, we all do.”
“Because you think I have them.”
“Because you can get them,” I replied, crossing my arms over my chest. “Your father will trust you.”
She let out a small laugh.
“My father doesn’t even know me and didn’t until yesterday. Why would he want to trust someone like me?”
I couldn’t answer that question. Hell, I didn’t want to trust her. There was something about Faye that made me be cautious around her, as if she held some sort of power in that fucking hot body of hers. One touch from her and I would be done for, I knew it.
“What do you want for supper tonight?”
She gave a half shrug.
“I’m not that hungry, but I would like to take a shower. Any way I can do that.”
Fuck. Now I was imagining her naked and wet.
“Yeah. We can arrange it.”
Faye looked up and I was nearly sucker-punched by her smile. Fake or not, it was a beautiful thing.
“Thank you, I mean it. It’s, I’m sure this hasn’t been easy on you.”
I gave her a tight nod and headed to the door before I could say or think anything else stupid, only breathing when I locked the door behind me. I would be damned if I was going to be the one to escort her to the shower.
Pushing away from the door, I walked toward the kitchen, needing a drink. Faye was up to something, and I had to find out what was truth with her and what was fake.
Hell, all our lives depended on it.
Chapter 9
Faye
I watched Jaxon out the corner of my eye, wondering how someone could be so damn handsome that it was sinful. We were in Jaxon’s truck, the rain beating down on the truck like it was a monsoon. Jaxon hadn’t said two words to me since we climbed in, keeping his eyes on the road as he struggled to keep us on it in the blinding rain.
It gave me plenty of time to look at him without him noticing.
Today, he seemed more on edge, more exhausted, and a small piece of me was feeling sorry for my captor. If what he told me last night was true, there had to be a weight on his shoulders, on the entire club’s shoulders, to not get killed.
I wasn’t sure where that left me.
Shifting in my seat, I looked down at the pitiful clothing I was wearing. Another t-shirt and sweatpants three times too big for me, cinched so tightly at the waist that I was surprised I wasn’t cutting off circulation. Someone had found a pair of flip flops around my size, and while I had taken a shower last night my make-up free, no-hair-products self knew I looked horrible.
But, hey, I was clean and alive for the moment. I guess it didn’t matter about the rest.
Jaxon turned to the left, and I clutched the door to keep from sliding in his direction as the truck ran off the road before he could yank at the steering wheel and got it back on the pavement. The air was freezing cold and, coupled with the rain, even colder to the point I wouldn’t have been surprised if there had been ice mixed in with the rain. The truck was toasty warm, however.
Jaxon finally stopped the truck and cut the engine, clearing his throat.
“Don’t, and I mean don’t do anything stupid okay? I’m fucking tired, and I don’t want to have to find your frozen ass out there in the fields.”
I let out a laugh.
“You don’t have to worry about that. I hate the cold and the rain.”
“Good,” he answered, throwing me an umbrella. “Here. Use this. I… well, I can’t do anything about your feet.”
That was the least of my worries. He opened the door and climbed out into the rain, and I did the same, holding the umbrella up over my head. The cold air blasted through my clothing, the rain soaking my feet as I made a run for the overhang of the building, my teeth chattering by the time I got there. Jaxon was waiting for me and swore, taking the umbrella out of my trembling hands.
“Shit, you are still soaked.”
“I-I’m fine,” I forced out as he led me into the house.
It was a quaint house, the inside nice and neat with the smell of chocolate-chip cookies in the air. My stomach rumbled appreciatively as Jaxon moved into the living room.
“Stay here.”
I didn’t say anything as he left me there in the living room, my body soaking up the heat of the house and drying me out. It was clear a woman lived here, and I wondered if it was Jaxon’s house I was standing in. Did he have a girlfriend or a wife? Is that why nothing I was trying on him was working? I thought at one time I had him pegged, but now… well, I just didn’t know.
Jaxon came back a few minutes later, and I saw he had a towel and some fuzzy socks in his hands.
“Here,” he said roughly, handing them to me. “Get warm. I will get Brendan.”
I was touched. Not just because he was thinking of my comfort, but also that he had taken the time to find some damn socks.
“I… thanks.”
He nodded and disappeared once more, leaving me to towel off the water that had made it under the umbrella. I dried my wet feet, sliding the fuzzy socks on once I was done. I set the damp towel on the chair and looked around the living room, feeling a warmth that was far more than just the change in temperature. This was the sort of house I had always dreamed about, the one I hadn’t had with my mom. I hated the pang of loneliness in my chest, how I felt as if I was completely out of my element, standing in this lived-in living room, where something more than just the will to survive was evident.
Footsteps sounded down the hall, and I cleared my throat, hiding my emotions. A man walked in, Jaxon close behind, and I could see the same lines of exhaustion on his handsome face. He eyed me, and I stood tall under his gaze, refusing to wither. I wasn’t afraid of what he was going to do to me.
I had experienced a hell of a lot worse.
“This is her?”
Jaxon walked over and handed me a cookie.
“Here.”
I took the cookie, my mouth salivating at the thought of it in my mouth. I was a sucker for hot men and warm cookies.
“Faye, this is my brother, Brendan, president of the Frontier Reapers.”
Oh, that was just great. He was brothers with the very man that probably wanted to use me as a pawn. I took a bite of the cookie; it tasted like sawdust in my mouth as I forced myself to chew it up and pretend that I wasn’t unnerved.
Brendan remained quiet, his keen eyes travelling over me like a spotlight.
“You are Hector’s daughter.”
It wasn’t a question.
“That’s what they say,” I
answered, brushing my hands on my pants.
His nostrils flared.
“You think this is a game? People are getting damn near killed by your father.”
His voice was so full of hate that I flinched inwardly. Maybe it had been a bad idea to associate myself with Hector Blackwood. Brendan and his brother clearly hated him, and I had yet to meet anyone who really liked him at all.
“Bren,” Jaxon said suddenly, his voice low. “It’s not her fault.”
My head swiveled so fast, I nearly pulled a muscle in it. He was standing up for me? But I was the enemy, a girl who had put on the show of all shows last night to get Jaxon to soften up. I had tried to seduce him, clawed at him, and more than likely caused him more trouble than good. And he was standing up for me.
I felt like such a bitch.
Brendan blew out a breath, running a hand through his hair.
“What does she know?”
Jaxon glanced over at me.
“Nothing. Hector barely knows she exists. I doubt she would be of any help.”
“Shit,” Brendan swore, pacing behind the couch. “I needed something to use, Jax, not this. We have to get those bastards that attacked Lucas.”
“I know,” Jaxon replied, crossing his arms over his chest. “We will, Bren. I promise.”
I listened to the exchange, suddenly wishing I could help out. Clearly Brendan had expected me to help him, and I had let him down. I was letting Jaxon down. I didn’t like those feelings swirling around in my body.
I didn’t like the fact that I wanted Jaxon.
Brendan stopped his pacing and stared at his brother.
“What do you think we should do with her?”
I swallowed hard, realizing this was the crossroads I had been waiting for since the moment I had been captured by Jaxon. He held my life in his hands, and I wanted so much to beg his forgiveness, to give him a glimpse of who Faye Blackwood really was.
And what she was scared of.
Jaxon gave a shrug, and I held my breath.
“I think if we let her go now, Hector is going to question her loyalty. I’ll take her to a safe house.”
Brendan looked over at me, and I tried to keep a neutral expression on my face.
“Fine,” he finally said. “Take her there. I’m going to arrange a meeting with Blackwood.”
“What?” Jaxon asked, surprised.
Brendan tore his gaze from me, looking at his brother.
“You heard me. I need to end this violence.”
“Not without me,” Jaxon growled as he glared at his brother. “That’s suicide Bren. Think about Laura.”
“I am thinking about her!” he exploded, throwing up his hands. “And you and Colby and everyone else I am fucking responsible for! This is my duty to the brotherhood, to my family, not yours.”
I heard the emotion in his voice and tears sprang to my eyes, the anguish and concern real. This wasn’t a game. This was real life. Brendan could die. Jaxon could die.
Oh God, this was a nightmare.
Chapter 10
Jaxon
“Tell me you will take a few guys with you,” I said to Brendan as he walked me to the door.
Faye was close behind, but I couldn’t think about her right now. Brendan was being a complete fucking idiot and was going to get himself killed.
“I will,” Brendan said, opening the door. “Watch your back, Jax.”
I sucked in a breath, catching my brother’s eye.
“You too. Don’t…”
He cut me off with a chuckle.
“God, you are acting like Laura! Get the hell out of here. I can handle this.”
My jaw worked, torn between knocking his ass out so I could take his place and throwing my arms around him. With Colby gone, I was responsible for watching out for Brendan. I was to have his back.
If anything happened to him, I would go fucking crazy.
“Get out of here, Jax,” Brendan said again, gripping my shoulder lightly.
I nodded and walked out, feeling Faye’s presence over my shoulder as I moved toward the truck. It was still raining, but I barely felt it, the exhaustion and worry seeping in my bones. Faye said nothing as she climbed into the truck, and I glanced over at her, seeing her soaking wet once more. Shit. I should have at least attempted to keep her dry. Turning over the engine, I cranked up the heat.
“Sorry.”
She dismissed me with a wave of her hand.
“It’s fine, really. I… you had other things on your mind.”
I pulled out of Brendan’s driveway and turned toward the highway.
“There’s dry clothes and plenty of food where we are going. It won’t take us long, I promise.”
She didn’t say anything, and I gripped the steering wheel, thinking about Brendan and his dumbass idea. I thought about calling Laura, having her take over Faye so I could be there for my brother. I knew what he was trying to do, and I could appreciate it, but the last thing I wanted to happen was that he attempted to do it with his life. Brendan had always been the glue that held us together, and if something happened to him, the brotherhood would struggle. Hell, I would struggle.
Spying the road I was looking for, I turned the truck down it, wincing as I heard the mud and rain slap against the sides. The cabin I was taking Faye to was farther back in the woods than the last, an old fishing cabin that sat on a large pond. I went there often to fish, and all three Morrison brothers had used it more than once for a drunken weekend.
But today I was going with Faye, a woman I could barely keep my hands off of. I didn’t know why I had stood up for her with Brendan, but she wasn’t to blame for this. No matter what she had done to goad me, the way she had lied to me and attempted to get me on her side, she still didn’t deserve to shoulder her father’s sins.
It was wrong for me to take her and put her in this situation, but – hell – she hadn’t fared much better in her father’s presence either.
Finally, the cabin came into view, and I pulled the truck up to the back door, shutting off the engine.
“You still with me?”
“Yeah,” she answered, eyeing the rain on the windshield. “Make a break for it?”
“Might as well,” I chuckled, my jeans plastered to my legs. “We are already wet. What’s a little more gonna hurt?”
I caught the flash of a smile before she tore out of the truck, causing me to follow her. Faye had already pushed open the door and stepped into the cabin by the time I got there, glad to see that we had stacked the wood on the inside this time.
Last time, me, Colby, and Brendan had nearly frozen our balls off because the damn firewood was too wet.
Thank God for alcohol that weekend.
Shutting the door, I turned back to Faye, who was taking in the small cabin.
“If you want to take a warm shower, I will work on the fire.”
“Um, sure,” she responded, hugging her arms to her body.
God, she looked miserable, and I felt like an ass for not thinking of her comfort at Brendan’s.
“Just point me in the right direction.”
I pointed to the hallway.
“Third door on the right. I’ll find you some clothes.”
Faye nodded, and I turned back to the firewood, grabbing some of the wood to keep my mind occupied. Hell, I was worried about Brendan, rock hard from Faye and her impromptu wet t-shirt contest, and hungry.
And cold.
And horny.
“Keep it together, Jax,” I muttered to myself, carrying the wood over to the fireplace.
In minutes, I had a fire roaring, covering the opening to keep it from setting the damn cabin on fire. In the background I could hear the shower running, my cock hardening as I thought about Faye under the stream of water. She would be the perfect distraction for me, to release some pent-up energy and forget for a while.
But would it complicate anything? Hell,
it was already complicated enough.
Standing, I walked down the hall and noticed the bathroom door was left cracked open, the wisps of steam escaping from inside. I paused at the door, closing my eyes briefly. I could keep walking, find her some clothes, and find my own release somewhere else, at some other time.