by Harley Wylde
“And she sent you to me,” I said.
“Yes. Do you know why?” Emmie asked. “She’s never said much, except that you seem to have some sort of connection to a man called Casper VanHorne. It seemed important to her, even though I don’t know who he is. I had to wonder why she waited so long to send me here if she thought you were my only hope of getting away from Ernesto and my father. I never asked, but maybe I should have.”
Wire and I shared a look. Yeah, the ex-agent had some explaining to do. It seemed every move she’d made, even back in December two years past, if not further back, had been calculated. But to what end? Just to save Emmie, or something more?
“Casper is the man who killed your uncle,” Wire said. “And Casper’s daughter is married to our President, Torch.”
“And now the pieces are falling into place,” Emmie said. “Lupita didn’t just get assigned to a federal office near your compound. She requested that location. I didn’t understand why since she’d been living farther north before that. Now I have to wonder if she came here on purpose. When she sent me here, she mentioned Casper VanHorne. I didn’t know who he was, or why she was so interested in him.”
“Which means she made sure she was here when we needed her,” I said. “I don’t like it, but if she felt you were in danger, then I can understand why she would have gone to such lengths.”
Assuming that was the only motive she had, but only Lupita could answer that.
“Where is Lupita now?” Emmie asked, seeming almost distracted for a moment.
“She went home with Flicker, remember?” I said. “He’ll watch over her.”
“Actually.” Wire cleared his throat and looked away a moment. “Lupita walked out of here about an hour ago. An unmarked car picked her up, no plates, windows blacked out. No one knows where she went or what she’s doing. She’s no longer a federal agent, which means she’s no longer on a leash. Flicker tried to stop her, but she said she had business to take care of.”
Emmie’s horrified gaze locked with mine. “You don’t think she’d go after our dad and Ernesto, do you? I mean, the whole point in me coming here was so you would protect me. Wasn’t it?”
“Wire, go do your thing. Find her, and then make sure she’s all right. Whatever it takes. I may not know if I completely trust her right now, but she’s Emmie’s sister. Since you married us, that makes Lupita my sister-in-law, and Reapers take care of family.”
Wire nodded and started gathering his files and papers. “I’m on it. You may want this though,” he said, sliding the marriage license across the table.
I stared at the paper and wondered how Emmie felt about it. She hadn’t said much in regards to our marriage, other than being surprised Wire had pulled such a stunt. Once he was gone, I pulled her down onto my lap and wrapped an arm around her waist. She leaned against me, tucking her head under my chin.
“So, wife… You know, I can just have Wire make it all disappear, if that’s what you want. It isn’t like we went through a ceremony and you agreed to marry me.”
She curled her fingers into my shirt and turned her face into me, taking a deep breath. “I want to stay married. If that’s okay with you.”
“Em, we don’t even know each other.”
“I know enough,” she said. “But if you don’t want forever with me, then just say so. I’ll move back to the guest room, and we can pretend that nothing happened between us.”
“You could be pregnant,” I reminded her.
“Maybe. Maybe not. I doubt many women get pregnant the first time.”
“You’d be surprised,” I muttered, thinking about all my brothers who seemed to have easily knocked up their women. I was starting to wonder if there was something in the water, or beer, that caused us to have super sperm. Hell, Preacher hadn’t only knocked up his woman, but he’d given her twins! And I seriously doubted that Saint had been trying to knock up the woman he’d been seeing in secret.
“Is that why you want to stay married?” she asked. “Because you think I might be pregnant? People don’t get married these days just because they have a baby. It’s not the nineteen fifties anymore, Tank.”
I glared at her. “Just how old do you think I am?”
She shrugged. “Thirties? I figure you’re at least ten years older than me.”
“Jesus,” I said, shaking my head. I didn’t think this conversation was going to go over well. I closed my eyes and hoped she didn’t freak the hell out. “Baby, I’m forty-five. There’s over twenty years between us, not ten.”
She turned to face me, her eyes going so wide it was almost comical. “But you don’t look older than thirty-six!”
“Good genes, I guess,” I said. “So is this a problem?”
“Zach,” she said softly. “I don’t care how old you are. Age is just a number, right? If it doesn’t bother you, and it doesn’t bother me, then what does it matter how many years there are between us?”
“Guess it doesn’t. Just so you know, I tend to stick to women thirty and older. I don’t make it a habit of chasing after women your age.”
“Just makes me special,” she said, smiling.
“My sister is going to give me so much shit,” I said.
“Why? Because you’re older than me?” she asked.
“Her husband knocked her up and ran off. He didn’t show back up for two years. It wasn’t the age difference I had such a problem with, but more the fact he acted like an idiot. She’s going to give me grief, because I always told her I’d never go for a woman as young as you. Hell, I hadn’t even planned on settling down, not after the shit I went through before.”
I could tell she had questions, but I didn’t think she’d ask. Yet. Sooner or later, I’d have to tell her about my past, and why I didn’t trust women easily.
“Does she live here? Will I get to meet her?” Emmie asked.
“She lives with the Devil’s Boneyard in the Florida panhandle. Once everything is settled with your dad and Ernesto, maybe we can take a trip there. No way I’m inviting them here. Not enough space.”
“Do you own this house? Or does it belong to the club?” she asked.
“It’s mine. Sort of. Torch gave each of us a house. I hadn’t planned on having a family other than Josie, so I took one of the smaller ones. It would be easy to build on if we needed to.”
“Where would your sister and her family stay if they came to visit?” Emmie asked. “If we don’t have space here, I’m sure there are other Reapers with family who don’t have room for visitors either.”
“What are you getting at?” I asked.
“Is there an empty house that could be set up as a guest home of sorts for visitors? Or maybe there’s room to build something? A small row of townhomes or something?” Emmie said.
“Not a bad suggestion. When all this is over, we’ll talk to Torch about it. He’s always open to new ideas, especially if it’s for the well-being of the club and our extended family. There are a lot of club members who have relatives through marriage to other MCs. Torch always lets them visit whenever they want, but you’re right about us needing a place for everyone to stay. If we didn’t have to use one of the bedrooms for guests, then we could use both bedrooms for any kids we have.”
“Kids plural?” she asked. “What if I only want one?”
I rubbed my beard. “Do you? Only want one?”
“I don’t know. It was nice having a sister, until Lupita moved away. It gave me someone to rely on, even if she was quite a bit older than me.”
“It’s not something we have to settle right now, baby. I need to go see Torch and see what he makes of all this mess with your family. I know that Casper VanHorne is on his way here, but I’m not sure how we’re handling everything. I need to know for certain that no one will come for you.”
“Then you go take care of business. I can occupy myself for a while. If you have the Hallmark Channel I can find something on there; they always have good movies playing.”
I kissed the top of her head. “Watch whatever you want. If there’s a channel I don’t have, let me know and we can order it. I should shower and change before I head over to the clubhouse.”
She stood, then paused, biting her lower lip. “Zach, I know that this marriage blindsided us, but I’m glad it’s you I’m married to.”
“Me too, sweetheart.” I gave her a smile, then stood and brushed a kiss against her lips before I left the room. If I didn’t go shower now, I might be tempted to do something else, like toss her over my shoulder and make love to her all day long.
Chapter Six
Emmie
There was a strange flutter in my stomach every time I thought about the piece of paper Wire had left behind -- a marriage certificate. Mine! It baffled the hell out of me that he’d been able to do something like that, and I still wasn’t quite convinced he’d done it as a way to save me. I’d heard him tell Tank that it was obvious the biker wanted to keep me. There was a huge difference in keeping me and marrying me. Tank was right. We were still strangers, even if we had been intimate already. I really wasn’t sorry that Tank was all mine.
It was completely insane, but with him I felt safe and like someone truly cared what happened to me. With the way Lupita had recently acted, I wasn’t entirely sure that she loved me as much as I loved her. Did she really see me as being so pathetic that a guy like Tank wouldn’t want me over her? He’d shown me exactly how much he wanted me.
My hand went to my belly when I thought about the possibility of carrying his baby. We’d been careless, and I knew it was wrong, but at the same time the thought of being pregnant with his child made me feel warm and fuzzy inside. I’d always wanted a family of my own, ever since I’d realized mine was so badly broken. Even before I’d found out who my dad was, I’d known that our family wasn’t like other families. My dad had never been the type to give hugs, or praise for that matter. It was like I didn’t exist, until he could use me to further a business deal. My children would never feel unwanted or unloved! I’d do everything I could to give them the best life possible. Not the kind money buys, but the kind built on love and affection.
The front door flew open so hard it banged into the wall, and several female voices drifted to me before the women stepped into view. I was thankful I’d gotten dressed after Tank left. I’d never expected people to just barge in without knocking. My jaw dropped a little when they just bustled right in and made themselves at home. Who were they? Each of them wore one of the black cuts like Tank did, except theirs said Property of and a name.
“Um, hi,” I said cautiously.
The blonde that seemed to be the ringleader smiled broadly. “We couldn’t wait another second to meet you. I’m Ridley, Venom’s wife.”
“Finally,” one of them muttered.
I didn’t have any idea who Venom was, even though the name was familiar. Tank must have mentioned him. For that matter, the name Ridley left me with the feeling I’d heard it too. Right now, all I could do was focus on the women staring at me. I now understood what a zoo animal felt like, or a fish in a bowl. What did they want? Why were they here?
“I’m Emmie,” I said, even though I had a feeling they already knew that.
“Wire told us all about you,” said a woman with long black hair. “I’m Isabella, Torch’s wife.”
Now Wire I was familiar with, thanks to the marriage certificate I couldn’t stop thinking about. If he’d told them about me, did they know that…
“Where’s your ring?” the third asked. “I’m Darian by the way, Bull’s wife.”
“Ring?” I asked and looked down at my hands. Huh. I hadn’t even thought about a wedding ring. Then again, I doubted that Tank had either, since neither of us had known that Wire married us over the computer. Who the hell did that? And how?
“Wire said you and Tank are married,” Isabella said, then she pursed her lips. “That sneaky little shit. He did that hocus pocus with his computer, didn’t he?”
I nodded, not knowing what else to say.
“He may be more devious than any of us realized,” Darian said. “And if he was able to do that all along, why didn’t he do that for any of us?”
“Speak for yourself,” Isabella said. “I for one loved my wedding to Torch. It’s a memory I’ll cherish always.”
Ridley snickered. “Yeah, right. What you remember is what happened after the wedding. Pretty sure half the compound heard you.”
Isabella’s cheeks flushed. “Hush. Like you and Venom are any better. You’ve been together over nine years and have three kids, but you’re still all over each other.”
Ridley shrugged and smiled. “So, Emmie. Tell us all about you.”
“Um.” I looked at the three women, feeling a bit overwhelmed. “I’m Lupita’s sister. The FBI agent who helped you back about two years ago?”
Darian’s eyes went wide. “The one in prison?”
I blinked. Did they not hear that Lupita had been at the compound? I wasn’t sure it was my place to say anything, so I kept quiet.
“Okay, so your sister is a badass. That doesn’t tell us anything about you, except who you’re related to,” Isabella said.
“I worked at the diner until Tank brought me here yesterday.” Had that only been one day ago? It seemed like weeks, or even months, had passed in that time. “I was a student before things turned ugly.”
“We heard about your dad and the man claiming to be your fiancé,” Darian said. “No worries. The guys will handle it. They’ve protected each of us at some point. It’s how most of us ended up here. Except Isabella. Her dad made a deal with Torch for services rendered.”
Isabella snorted. “Thanks. Make me sound like a prize to be won.”
Ridley nudged her. “I’m pretty sure Torch thinks you are a prize.”
“Why are you here?” I asked, just blurting it out. Not that it wouldn’t be nice to have friends, but these women didn’t know me, hadn’t even known I existed until now. I didn’t understand what they wanted. People weren’t nice unless they wanted something, right?
“Ridley, I told you that you should have prepared her,” Darian said. “Good thing we didn’t bring the entire crew.”
“There’s more of you?” I asked. I wasn’t certain if the idea intrigued me, or scared me. The three women in front of me seemed to be a force to be reckoned with, and envisioning more of them was a bit frightening. Lupita was powerful and strong, but these ladies had a presence that might have even overwhelmed my sister.
“Oh, yeah. Wraith just married Rin about two years ago. It was so romantic. They had a Christmas wedding! Let’s see… Preacher and Kayla are together, then there’s Tex and Kalani. Hmm. Rocky and Mara, although she tends to keep to herself. Who am I missing?” Ridley asked.
“Zipper and Delphine. Not to mention Laken is married to Ryker, and while he’s not a Dixie Reaper, she’s Flicker’s sister,” Isabella said. “I’m sure you already know that Tank has a sister, Josie, but she’s with the Devil’s Boneyard. They’re close, so I’m sure he’s mentioned her.”
“Their VP is my dad,” Darian said. “You’ll see the Boneyard crew around here pretty often. They don’t live that far off either.”
I felt like I’d fallen down a rabbit hole, except unlike Alice, I was pretty sure I was going to land on my head when I reached the end. Too many names to remember, and way too much information to process all at once. I still didn’t entirely understand the MC thing, and it sounded like it was a big group. Would I fit in? These women seemed confident and strong, and I felt very far from either of those things.
“Told you we should have waited,” Isabella said under her breath but just loud enough for me to hear. “I think we’ve broken her.”
“No, I’m… just thinking. I only met Tank yesterday and now Wire says we’re married. I don’t know anything about Tank or the Dixie Reapers, much less any other clubs. I feel a little… lost.”
“It will be fine,” Darian said. “I ende
d up here completely by accident. I didn’t even know my dad was a biker at that time. We’d never met. But the Dixie Reapers welcomed me and made me family, and they welcomed my dad too even though he’s from another club.”
“It’s kind of their thing, but don’t let on that you know,” Isabella said. “They take in strays. The guys can be completely badass and tough when they need to be, but when it comes to women and kids? Complete teddy bears. Well, innocent women anyway. Cross the MC or hurt a kid and the guys won’t care if the person is male or female. Justice will be served.”
“And not in the legal way,” Ridley said, “but you get used to it. As long as the guys stay out of jail, I really don’t care how they handle things. They get the job done, and as far as I’m concerned, they’re providing a service to this community. Anyone they put six feet under deserved it and probably hurt innocents.”
“So they’re like modern day superheroes but without the capes?” I asked.
Darian snickered. “I can’t wait to tell Bull that one. Wonder if I can convince him to dress up as Thor for Halloween this year?”
“With that long blond hair and beard? He’d be a good one, or maybe a Viking marauder,” Ridley said.
“Really?” Darian asked. “You want to arm Bull with a broadsword? Or an ax?”
“Well, you were going to give him that hammer thing Thor carries around. That’s just as bad,” Ridley said.
“Thank you, ladies,” Isabella said. “I now know what the club’s next charitable event will be. Superheroes visiting the children’s ward at the hospital. Maybe they can make it a regular thing.”
“Yeah, like you’re getting Venom or the other guys to dress up in those leotard things,” Ridley said. “But if you do, I’m taking pictures. Lots of pictures. They may even make it onto social media, or the local paper.”
I couldn’t imagine Tank dressing up in one of those things, but it did make me laugh. The more the women talked, the more at ease I felt around them. They seemed happy, and it gave me hope that maybe I could find that same happiness with Tank. In all the times I’d pictured myself settling down, it had never been with a biker, or anyone as hardened as Tank. But like the ladies said, hard exterior and soft teddy bear inside.