Premo: Siberian MC book one

by Joy Blood

  “Yeah. Come on in.” I have since put clothes on Vera, but still feel the need to pull a blanket over her. The rasp of the zipper opening the door vibrates through the tent before Wick’s bulky body fills the empty space.

  “Thought you might need some help. How she doin’?”

  “Still out of it.”

  “That happen a lot?”

  I shake my head. “Hasn’t in a while.”

  “She’s been through some shit.”

  “More than I know about.” I stroke along her hair, slightly damp from sweat. It’s damn hot in here. “Hey. I got to get packed up. Mind watching over her while I do?” He nods and backs away from the door as I stand with Vera still wrapped up in my arms. Her hands clutch at my cut as I move us, but she doesn’t wake, only lets out a small, almost inaudible, whimper. “Shhh, baby. I got you,” I sooth, hoping she can hear me in her state.

  When I get her placed in the backseat of the truck, I give her a kiss on her forehead, earning a slight smile. “Just sit tight, V. We are headed home.”

  I go about getting the campsite packed up and loaded into the bed of the truck. Wick is there to help, so it doesn’t take too long.

  “You want me to ride behind ya? The boys aren’t quite ready to head out yet.” I nod and thank him before going back to the cab to check on Vera. She’s still sleeping soundly, so I climb in and start up the truck, ready to get home.

  The drive back to the apartment seems to drag on forever. Sometime through the trip, Vera woke up and climbed into the front seat. She didn’t say much, only nodded and forced smiles when I asked her if she was hungry or thirsty, which were both a solid no. She was much of the same when we get to the apartment, going right to the bedroom and crawling under the covers. I let her. For now. Tomorrow, we are going to have to talk. I’m no expert when it comes to dealing with past trauma, and I think she needs to see someone who is. Getting her to agree might prove to be hard.

  When I climb into bed along with her and reach out to pull her tight to me, I can’t help but notice the slight tensing of her body the closer I get. “Baby, it’s just me,” I whisper into the dark. “You are safe with me,” I reassure her.

  “I know.” Her voice is small when she croaks out the words, but I take them, take her and bring her to my chest, letting her feel it more than hear it. “I know,” she repeats, then falls asleep in my arms again.

  Forty-Six

  It’s been nearly two weeks since the rally, and I have been avoiding the clubhouse like the plague. Nate still doesn’t know what happened, and with the threat looming in the back of my mind, I continue keep quiet. Even though I haven’t gone to the clubhouse, I have been to talk to Berta a time or two, along with going to a meeting with both her and Nate. I didn’t stand up and talk, I didn’t even introduce myself, but I did listen. Each day, I’m bringing myself back to standing again. Maybe that’s why I’m getting into the car Nate had brought to the apartment for me to use, claiming it’s a loaner car and not a charity car.

  I have been issued a brand-new fake ID. Vera Smith is now who I am, and Vera Smith will no longer be afraid of men who have made it their mission to control her. The words sound so convincing in my head, but each step I take toward the car, my heart races that much faster. It takes me twenty minutes to convince myself to start the car, then another thirty to switch it from park to drive. Progress I suppose, but I still need to drive to the gates of the clubhouse, and then through.

  My car pulls up at the gate, and I wave to one of the boys manning the entrance. He shoots a chin tip my way, and the heavy metal scrapes along the asphalt for me to roll on through. My eyes dart around, trying to figure out where I should park when they finally land on Nate. He's standing with his back to me talking to a couple people I don’t pay attention to because all I see is him. Quickly, I find a place next to another vehicle inside the compound and get out to go over give my—boyfriend? Is that what he is?—a hug, and possibly the steamiest kiss known to mankind. That’s when a voice stops me in my tracks, nearly causing me to stumble and fall to the ground. “Alavera. My baby girl, is that you?” Her voice, once so soft and comforting, seeps into my bones and instantly chills me to the core. My mother’s arms wrap around me like a thick, constricting blanket along with my dad’s. They both squeeze me at the same time, the scent of her over-priced floral perfume and his too strong cologne assaulting my senses. The theatrical blubbering from my mother starts to die down as the pounding in my ears intensifies. I find myself and pull away, looking them both over. Still picture perfect, with every hair in place, every crease smoothed away from the injections she once suggested I get, my mother dabs at her fake tears and smiles sweetly at me.

  “We have been searching for you everywhere, Alavera. Your mother has been worried sick, and Rod—”

  “I’m fine!” I blurt a little too adamantly, then reel it back in at their shocked expressions. “Sorry,” I whisper. “Mom, really, I’m sorry, but I am fine. You don’t need to worry—”

  “We don’t need to worry?” she gasps, clutching at her pristine designer dress suit. “Have you noticed where we are?” she whisper-hisses, leaning in as if the crowd of bikers, who have not so subtly gathered around us, can’t hear.

  “She knows exactly where she is.” Nate’s authoritative voice comes to my aid, along with his thick muscled arm. I’m instantly comforted by the gesture, but when I catch the matching looks of disdain from my parents, I know none of this is going to end well. I have never been able to defy them, and not for a lack of trying.

  “If you don’t mind, I would like to have a word with my daughter, in private. For all we know, you could have been the one to kidnap her,” my father declares, and my hackles rise. “I happen to know there are several of you who have been incarcerated, it isn’t that far-fetched to believe you would take our daughter and hold her for ransom.”

  “Dad!” I gasp at his audacity, but really, the way he’s speaking to Nate isn’t surprising at all. Vernon Santiago is a lawyer and as crooked as they come, I came to learn this the hard way.

  “You make up whatever story you’d like, sir, but in the end, your daughter will tell you where it is she would like to be. Go ahead and talk,” Nate tells them, then looks down to me, giving me a soft kiss on my lips that feels too much like goodbye, I almost panic. “I’ll give you a minute, V.” He steps away, and my eyes stay glued to his back as he makes his way into the clubhouse, along with a couple of the other guys who were outside. My eyes wander along the gathering of bikers before they land on one in particular and I freeze for a whole different reason. A cold chill rolls through me at the sick, satisfied smirk on his face. I’m jerked away from the threatening stare-down back to my father.

  “We are taking you home right now.”

  I snap out of the ice statue I have suddenly turned into. I need to tell Nate what I saw. “What? No. This is my home no—” The harsh crack lands on my cheek before I can get the whole sentence out. It’s no new thing for my father to hit me. Still, it takes me a moment to recover from the blow, but I hear each word he says as he leans in close.

  “You would do better to come home now. If you stay here, I will personally make sure this club is on the radar of every FBI investigation from here to China. And that lowlife of a lover you have will never see the light of day again when I get him charged with kidnapping and extortion.” My eyes grow wide as they land on my father’s face, stern and unyielding. I have no doubt he will carry through with his threats. The door to the clubhouse slams shut, and a thundering of heavy footsteps come our way so fast, I barely have time to figure out who they belong to. Deep down, though, I already know. Nate has my father in a chokehold and slammed up against the nearest vehicle before I can even blink.

  “You hit my woman again, and I will end you, prick. I don’t give a shit if you are her daddy. Not even a father gets to hit a daughter like that,” Nate grits out right in my dad’s face, but my father only looks my way, the threat clear in
his gaze.

  “Nate, stop it please,” I call out, going so far as to try to tug his arm away from my father’s throat. “Nate!” I shout, only getting a slight relaxation from him.

  “Pres. Brother, you gotta let him go, man,” Wick says from the other side of Nate, who shoots Wick a glare.

  “This is on you, asshole,” Nate growls, then shoves off my dad, letting him drop to the ground to catch his breath. “Come on, Vera, baby. Let’s go home.” Nate offers his hand, but I don’t take it—I can’t take it. I can’t be the reason he never sees his son again. I can’t be the reason he goes to prison for something he never did. “V?” His voice changes from demanding to almost pleading.

  “I can’t. I—” my arms fling up around him, “I need to go home,” I say, loud enough for my parents to hear, then lower my voice, pleading with him in an almost silent whisper as I hug him tight enough for goodbye. I pull back, then step far enough away so I don’t go back to him. “I have a fiancé. I love him. I was just scared of getting married, so I ran away from home. I know what I want now…” I try my hardest to make my voice as convincing as possible. Just by the defeated look on Nate’s handsome face when my eyes meet his, I know it works. Even I believe the words I’m saying. “And what I don’t want.”

  His bottom lip tucks in under his teeth, bringing up his beard as he bites down hard, then nods. “Fine. That’s what you want.” He waves his hand in front of him. “Go ahead, Vera. You were never a prisoner here.”

  We stand there almost in a standoff, both knowing how this is going to end. I’m going to leave, and he is going to let me. I don’t want him to, I want him to keep me here, keep me safe and never let me return to the life I left behind, but that’s the selfish part of me. I can’t stay and let him go down for saving me. “Ally, come on, baby girl. Let’s get out of here.” My mother comes to my side using the nicknames that makes me cringe, but I follow her lead. Slowly, one foot in front of the other, I find myself walking from Nate, from this life I have grown to love, right back into the one I tried so hard to get away from.

  The door closes after I’m placed inside the black SUV and strapped in. My gaze never leaves Nate as he stands there in the middle of the compound with his arms crossed over his chest, stoic, a brooding crease on his face. Even through the tint of the window, I know he’s still staring at me, can still see me—Nate will always see me, even if I try to run and hide.

  Forty-Seven

  I watch, frozen to the graveled ground, anger thrumming through my veins, as the black SUV drives away. Vera’s words echo in my head. My fists clench together, ready to pound someone’s face into nonexistence.

  I know damn well she didn’t want to go, that daddy dearest must have threatened her with something. Prick. I knew exactly who they were when they stepped out of their vehicle. Rich fuckers looking for their long-lost daughter who they feared to be dead. Yeah, they sure seemed like ever the doting parents—until Vera showed up. Her body instantly when ridged, and it wasn’t because she was in shock. Then to see him hit her…shit, I nearly exploded through the wall of the clubhouse like the fucking Hulk. If Vera hadn’t tried to pull me off him, I would have been escorted out of here in handcuffs today. At least I wouldn’t have had to stand by and watch as they loaded her up and drove her away to a life I know nothing about—except that she left it and didn’t want to do back…until now, that is.

  “Pres, I know you think it was me who called ’em but—” Wick tries to talk to me, but I shut him up with hard clock to the jaw, forcing him to stumble backward. “Fuck, man. I’m serious. I didn’t say shit. I got rid of the folder like you said,” he tries, but I don’t give a shit anymore. It doesn’t matter how they came to find Vera here. All that matters is she’s gone, and I need to fucking get her back.

  Forty-Eight

  The last twenty-four hours have gone by in a blur. Luckily, my parents have backed off since I came home willingly, and have given me space. I’m in my old room again, surrounded by the bubblegum pink walls that hold my childhood things. The various trophies I won for cheerleading and volleyball. The many pictures of friends I once had. Movie and band posters. Things I held important once in my life now have no meaning as I stare up at the ceiling. My hand goes to my arm like it has many times since I came back here. I can still make out the tough bumps underneath my healed skin that remind me I once was so close to being nonexistent. Then shame floods me. I was willing to die because I no longer cared what happened to me. If Nate hadn’t found me…even thinking his name makes my heart ache.

  “Ally, baby girl, you have a visitor.” My mother’s overly sweet voice comes into my room after a sharp knock. Without thinking, I sit up, excitement flooding through me, stupidly believing Nate has come to see me. All hope is dashed away at the person who stands inside my room as my mother exits and shuts the door behind her.

  “Glad to see you’re happy to see me, Ally Cat.” My body turns cold at the deep, ominous voice from my past. “I was beginning to think you would never find your way home.” He comes closer and closer, causing my heart to nearly beat out of my chest. Panic clutches at my dry throat, and I can’t even think to scream as he places himself on my bed and tugs me close, as if he’s missed me all this time. “My sweet girl, you ran away from me.”

  “I—I—” I can only get the one word out. Nothing makes sense. Nothing works. My limbs are dead weight as the man I once loved pulls me in closer.

  “I can only imagine what you have been up to. Spreading your legs for filthy criminals? I guess you really are an Ally Cat,” he chuckles at his own joke, and his grip tightens when I finally find my strength to pull away. “Not so fast, little one. You and I have a few things to discuss before you can leave. First one being you no longer to have any contact with those miscreants from Idaho. I’m certain I don’t have to tell you what happens if you don’t obey me.”

  I give a slow and steady nod.

  “Good.” He runs his hand along my hair. “Now, in the next week, I expect you to resume the planning of our wedding.” My eyes slam shut as I try to control my breathing, waiting for his next words to hurt even more. “I’m running for office next year, and I need to be married by then, maybe even have a son on the way.” My head shakes as the panic starts to roll in. Son. “Maybe next time you will keep it alive, hmmm? Look at me,” he demands, but I can’t, or wont, obey. Not anymore.

  “It wasn’t…my fault,” I tell him, the words coming from deep in my chest.

  “Excuse me?” He still has that smile on his face—the political gain smile I always referred to it as. Only, right now, he is using it on me.

  “You are a bad man.”

  The booming laugh that resonates from him causes me to flinch and jerk away, but his hand shoots out to wrap into my hair, yanking me close enough to feel the spittle coming from his mouth. “You are goddamn right I am, and you will do good to remember it. I can just as easily put you back into the drug-induced haze you were in before you ran away, you little bitch. And if I say you will give me a son, you will give me a son.” His grip tightens further, if that’s even possible, the tight pull yanking out strands of hair one by one. “I don’t care if I have to keep you locked in a fucking room until you give birth, you will do as I say.” His hand lets go, and he forcefully shoves me away. When I look back up, strands of my hair fall to the floor as he swipes his palms together. “I will be gone for a few days. I expect to have a wedding planned when I get back.” His sickening grin grows, and he leans in. “Then you will move back in and we can pick up where we left off.” His lips slam hard onto mine, forcing me to open so he can shove his snake-like tongue into my mouth. I jerk away, earning a backhanded slap across my face. “I will see you when I return, Ally Cat.”

  The air stays frozen in my lungs as he walks away. It isn’t until I can no longer hear his footsteps down the hall, that I lose it. My body gives out, and I slide from the bed, my knees hitting the hardwood floor with a thud that doesn’t register.
Tears flood my eyes, and my hand flies over my face, feeling the inflamed area where his palm connected.

  It isn’t much longer before my mother comes back into the room, she gets me off the floor and to the bathroom, where she helps me strip and get into the shower. She stays the whole time, almost acting like a mother, right up until she dries me off and tucks me in, then she opens her mouth.

  “It’s best to listen to him, baby girl. You are going to be his wife soon, and it will only get worse if you defy him. You know all too well what happens when you do. I would rather my next grandchild be born alive,” she tells me with the most tender voice, even going as far as to brush a strand of hair from my face and kiss my forehead.

  Then she’s gone.

  Forty-Nine

  I go over it and over it in my head. Every word Vera said before she left. I didn’t believe half of them, and I still don’t, but the other thing she said…that’s believable.

  “Pres, dammit, will you just wait a minute?” Wick complains, following me as I storm over to my bike ready to head down to California and get my woman back.

  “The fuck do you want?” I’m shoving past him when he tries to talk again. “You know what, never mind. You’ve done enough.” He might swear up and down he didn’t have shit to do with Vera’s parents coming here, but still, he dig up the info after I told him no.

  “You go right ahead and be pissed off at me, but I don’t give a shit. You ain’t going down there alone. Not on my goddamn watch.”

  “Good thing I’m not your watch, asshole. I’m your fuckin’ Pres, you go where I say,” I don’t even see the fist coming at me until I’m stumbling backward in surprise. Gripping at my aching jaw and righting my stance, I stare at him in surprise. “You hit me, you fucking pussy,” I snap, working my jaw back and forth in my hand.