by Erin Trejo
“Eric know you’re out whoring yourself around?” a deep voice asks.
I wiggle in his grasp, but he’s holding me too tight. I can’t get loose. Panic starts to take over. My body begins to tremble. I don’t know who this is or how they know Eric. I haven’t even done anything in public, been anywhere near Viking, or done anything to give it away, so how would he know if I’ve done anything?
“I am going to move my hand from your mouth. You scream and I will cut your throat. You got it?” he hisses in my ear.
I nod my head and his hand slowly falls from my mouth. “Who are you?” I have to ask.
“I’m a friend of a friend. You’re going to walk out of this store without your little girlfriends. You scream and I won’t hesitate to slice. Okay?”
His warning screams in my head. What the hell am I going to do now? The man nudges me forward. I take a quick glance around to see if I can spot Whitley or Molly. If they see me leaving they would know something isn’t right. Wouldn’t they? I feel the knife he claims to have as it presses into my spine and causes me to gasp.
“I’m warning you.”
I nod my head and quickly head to the door. My heart beats rapidly in my chest. My stomach trembles. Bile is rising in my throat. How does he know Eric? What the hell is he following me for? I have so many questions running through my head but no answers. I’m on edge and as soon as I’m out the door I head straight into panic. My body trembles to the point that I don’t know if I can actually walk any further when I spot Fin and Viking not too far from us.
The guy behind me seems to be contemplating what to do, where to go, or what he’s doing, which gives me a small window to act. But what the hell do I do? There’s a knife pressing into my spine. I turn my head slightly to see he’s looking off to the left, so I take this as my chance. I spin around away from the knife which causes his arm to twist with me. His grip breaks and as soon as it does I scream and run toward them. They both spin around to face me no doubt having heard my cries. They both start rushing toward me but Viking gets to me first. He wraps me up in his arms, holding me tightly. Fin is next to him a second later with his eyes darting around to see what happened. That’s when they must see the guy that had me.
“It’s okay baby. I got you. What did he do to you?” Viking asks in a hard yet soothing tone.
“He’s runnin’. I’m on him. Viking you get the girls,” Fin screams from somewhere behind me.
I can’t look up. I don’t want to. I cry as I wrap my hands in the front of Viking’s shirt. He holds me tightly, but walks us toward the stores at the same time.
“Oh my god. What happened? We turned around and she was just gone,” I hear Whitley screaming from behind me.
I can feel her hands on my back, but I can’t move. I’m too scared to let him go.
“I don’t know yet. Walk towards the bikes,” Viking snaps at the two of them.
He lifts me up into his arms when I don’t move my feet. What the hell was that guy going to do to me? How does he know Eric? The questions just keep running through my head. How would they even know where I was? I can’t shake the fear of the unknown as I sob even harder.
“It’s okay Carnie. I won’t let anyone hurt you,” Viking whispers in my ear.
“Lost the little fucker in the crowd,” I hear Fin say.
Viking holds me tightly even when Fin tries to take me.
“Carnie do you know who that was?” Fin asks softly trying not to stare at me.
“No. He just said he knew Eric. Said he was a friend of a friend,” I admit.
Viking’s muscles tense around me. “You okay to ride darlin’? We need to get back to the house,” Viking asks and his tone has gone from soft and sweet to rough and angry.
I nod my head and he sets me down on my feet. Fin reaches up and wipes the tears away from my face before he grabs my cheeks in his hands.
“I’ll kill him Carnie. I won’t let him hurt you. I won’t let any of them hurt you.”
I nod my head. I know he wouldn’t.
“She can ride with me in the truck,” Whitley offers.
The slight growl that comes from Viking isn’t missed by anyone. They all look at each other, but no one knows what to say.
“Let’s get the fuck outta here,” Viking roars and grabs my arm to yank me toward his bike.
No one argues with him and I suppose that’s for the best right now. He places the extra helmet on my head and buckles it before he nods his head for me to get on. I can tell that his nerves are on edge. My hands are still shaking when Viking climbs on the bike. I wrap my arms around his waist and hold on.
Chapter 15
VIKING
This is fucking bullshit. It’s all fucking bullshit. I’m pacing the deck out back, running my hands through my hair, and tugging on it. I’m frustrated as fuck. We sold guns to those little pricks. We were setting things up to do business with them. The fucking idiots were desperate enough to pay at a higher price than we normally charge. We were reaping the fucking benefits from that. Now this shit happens? I’ve called in the guys that didn’t come with us. We are all over this area now. I even called in a few favors from the other local clubs to help find out who this bastard is.
“She’s finally calmin’ down some,” Fin says as he walks out the back door and passes me a beer.
I shake my head. I’m in no mood to drink more right now although I do have a beer in my hand. I want to be in there holding her. I should be comforting her. I’m pissed it’s not me in there, I’m pissed that we didn’t get our hands on that little bastard, and I’m even more pissed that I can’t do shit about any of it right now.
“Good. That’s good.”
“Can I ask you somethin’ Viking?”
I cock my head to the side and raise my eyebrows. I’m letting him know that he can ask, but that doesn’t mean I’ll fucking answer him. Fin gets what I mean too.
“She clung to you. She didn’t even blink an eye. You two got somethin’ goin’ on?”
Oh, for fuck’s sake. Of all of the times for him to ask me that he has to do it right now? I could lie to him, but what the fuck good would that do any of us? I don’t need to lie. I’m the goddamn president of this fucking club. What I do is my business, not his. I suck in a breath and get ready to ruin one of my brothers. It’s not what I want to do, but it is what it is. I take a long pull from the beer then turn to face him.
“We might have somethin’ goin’. Means nothin’ to you Fin.”
“Means nothin’ to me? What the fuck Viking? She’s my sister.”
His hands clench at his sides and I can see his nostrils flaring.
“You better watch how you talk to me Fin. Don’t forget your goddamn place. Who I’m with isn’t your concern,” I inform him.
His eyes hold so much anger I can practically feel it.
“My sister? Of all of the fuckin’ club whores we have and you go after my little sister? What the fuck is wrong with you Viking? Huh? She’s a good kid. She doesn’t need to be fucked up in this shit. And with you? Did the age difference not have any affect to you? You saw a ripe piece of pussy and just took it.”
That’s about enough of that shit. I drop the beer to the ground. I vaguely hear it shatter when I move in. I slam my fist into his face. His jaw cracks and blood spills from his lip, but he comes at me full force.
“She’s a kid,” he roars before he slams his shoulder into my stomach.
We both hit the ground with a thud. Fin’s on top of me. His fists are slamming into my face. It doesn’t take long for me to buck him off me. I move in on him then. Punches are thrown between the two of us before we’re being jerked apart. I grin and wipe the blood on my lips as I stare straight at him.
“You are some kind of bastard,” Fin growls pointing at me.
I chuckle and raise my arms to my sides as I say, “Soulless Bastards brother. That’s all I am.”
Ink watches the two of us. He’s waiting to see which one of us wil
l make the first move when Mason steps in between us.
“What the fuck is this?” he asks with his eyes directed at me, but I know he’s asking both of us.
“This motherfucker is makin’ a move on my little sister,” Fin roars from the other side of the deck.
We’ve gotten the attention of some of the others now as well. They all stand around. They know better than to say a word.
“Little? She’s twenty-two. She can make her own choices,” I remind him.
His eyes turn deadly and his body tenses even more.
“You know that she’s all I have left. You know what that means to me. You know what she means to me Viking.”
“Yeah, I do. But you don’t have a fuckin’ clue what the fuck she means to me. So, fuck off Fin. You aren’t in charge around here brother. You’d best remember that.”
My body is coiled tight. I’m sick of this shit already. I’ve never had a brother challenge me. I’ve never given them a reason to. Maybe he’s right? Maybe I am fucking this all up. I shouldn’t have come between them as a family, but there is something about that girl that I don’t want to let go of.
“She means nothin’ to you. Just like every other club whore that climbs into your bed Viking. Why her? Why did you have to fuck with her?”
His tone has changed. He’s calmed slightly. His eyes still hold all of that anger though. I can see through him. I step around Mason and push him aside as I stare at Fin.
“I didn’t plan it this way Fin. I feel somethin’ for her. I don’t know what the fuck it is and it’s messin’ with my goddamn head, but I can tell you right now that I’m not walkin’ away from her. So, that leaves you with a choice to make,” I tell him firmly. “You either stay the fuck outta my way, or you walk.”
The mumbles I can hear from the other guys don’t go unnoticed. This shit is coming to a point that I wasn’t ready for. I wasn’t looking to fight with Fin. Hell I don’t even want him to leave, but if it comes down to walking away from Carnie or losing Fin, then Fin is gone. Fin nods his head and runs his hand through his hair. He’s clearly contemplating what I said.
“We’re all a little amped up over what happened today. Let’s just calm the fuck down before we do somethin’ we’ll regret later,” Mason says as he looks between the two of us.
I chuckle and turn on my heel to head back inside. I need to check on Carnie. I head down the hallway and I can hear Whitley talking in her room. I stop outside the door and just listen.
“Fin is going to hate me. I shouldn’t have done it Whit. I can’t face him now. He’s going to hate me forever,” Carnie cries.
My heart squeezes in my chest, but if she isn’t telling me to walk away then I’m not going to.
“Viking is a good guy deep down Carnie. Fin will come around. If he truly is what you want then stop worrying. He’ll take care of you. The guys in this club might be hard headed. They kill. They enjoy it, but when it comes to something that they love, they hold onto it. They treasure it. Trust me,” Whitley’s words hold so much truth.
I step into the room and they both turn to look at me. Carnie’s eyes are full of tears. Her cheeks are stained and puffy.
“She’s right ya know? You should listen to the little nympho,” I say jerking my head in Whit’s direction.
She giggles, but doesn’t step in. She stands, hugs Carnie, and walks toward me. She punches me in the arm before she glares up at me and says, “Hurt her and I’ll hurt you. Don’t think I can’t.”
I chuckle and watch her walk out of the room.
Chapter 16
CARNIE
We left the beach house early. It’s been a few weeks since we’ve been back home now. My head is a complete mess. Eric has up and disappeared. We haven’t heard from anyone in that little group of theirs either.
Viking keeps telling me that everything is fine. Fin is ignoring me for the most part. My heart aches knowing that he’s this mad at me. I never intended for that to happen. Whitley has been by my side since that night, but I still feel lost.
I wander aimlessly around the clubhouse. It’s become my home. Viking made sure no one was at the apartment I share with Eric and got my things for me. I’m still unsure of how I feel about everything.
“I’m sick of sitting here,” I yell when I see Viking across the room.
He was deep in conversation, or so it seemed, when I let out that scream. I’m losing my mind being locked up in this place though. I don’t go out and I don’t see anyone but them. He turns his head and gives me a death glare. It’s a silent warning, but I want to taunt him. I don’t though. He turns back to the guys and continues talking as if I’m not even standing there. I huff out a breath and head out of the clubhouse to find Whitley smoking a cigarette.
“What are you doing?” I ask her.
She spins around with a grin on her face.
“I’m hiding. What are you doing?”
“Looking for trouble. I’m so sick and tired of being here.” Whit’s smile gets even bigger when I say that.
“You want trouble? I can help you with that. Come on,” she says waving me toward Mason’s truck. She jumps in the driver’s seat as I climb into the passenger seat.
“Where are we going?” I ask with narrowed eyes.
“My old hang out. You have yet to meet my best friend Jackson. He is the best. Mason doesn’t mind him anymore, but he used to hate his guts. You will absolutely love him.”
I smile as she pulls out onto the main road. It’s been so long since I’ve had any kind of fun that I’m going just slightly insane. The drive into the bad part of town doesn’t take us very long. The area is a little sketchy, but I trust Whit.
“You used to live here?” I ask her as she pulls up and parks in front of an older apartment complex.
“This was home sweet home before I met Mason. I know it isn’t much, but to me it was everything. Come on,” she tells me before she jumps out of the truck.
I follow behind her as she rushes up the set of stairs. She takes them two at a time before she pulls a key from the keyring. She unlocks the door and heads inside with me right on her heels.
“Hey man whore I’m here.” I giggle under my breath.
“Whit you slut. Where the hell have you been? And why haven’t you answered me? I have called and texted you and all I am met with is complete silence?”
The man that comes around the corner is looking just as gorgeous as Whit had described him. He grabs her and pulls her into him for a hug. He nuzzles his face into her neck.
“Fuck you smell so goddamn good. I want to eat that pussy right here,” he tells her softly.
What did I just hear? He wouldn’t actually do that would he? She wouldn’t I don’t think. Would she? When they pull apart he kisses her right on the lips. My jaw hits the floor. The man finally looks over and notices me. His eyes widen and he licks his lips.
“You brought me a replacement? Oh Whitley I take back all the bad things I’ve ever said about you,” he quips before coming toward me. He wraps me up in his arms and I start to get uncomfortable.
“She isn’t for you. She’s Viking’s. Now unhand her before her man has to deball you,” Whitley giggles.
The man pulls back and introduces himself, “Jackson, Jack,
Daddy, or Sir. Whichever you prefer to call me. It’s all good.” I take his extended hand as I laugh a little, “Carnie.”
“So what brings you around?” Jackson asks as he motions for us to follow him to the couch.
Jackson moves to the fridge and grabs us a few beers. He passes each of us one before he drops down into the chair across from us.
“Well, long story short? This is Fin’s sister. She’s fucking Viking whom you know is the prez. Fin found out and went bat shit crazy. They got into a huge fight and now Carnie is being held against her will at the clubhouse,” Whitley says in one long breath before she takes a drink of her beer. Jackson looks from her to me with his eyebrow raised.
“Fuckin
g the prez. So, do tell. How is that going? Is his cock
as big as I like to think it is? I’ve seen him a few times with that bulge, so don’t lie to me girl,” Jackson goes on rambling while Whitley and I laugh.
He’s really laid back and easy to be around.
“It’s going I guess. It’s sort of weird being with him. He’s so different when we’re alone.”
Jackson nods like he knows what I’m talking about.
“It’s the same for me. They look at me like I’m just a piece of man meat, but when I slap out my salami they freak,” he says this while waving his hand through the air like it’s nothing.
“He does have a big dick. Ask that hot guy he was with. What was his name?” Whitley looks over at Jackson as she rolls a joint.
“Which one?” Jackson laughs.
Whit brings the joint to her lips and lights it up. We pass it around for a while when my phone rings. I’m too busy laughing to care who it is. I slide it out and answer it without looking.
“Hello?”
“What the hell made you think it was a smart move to move out Carnie? You fucking said you loved me,” Eric’s voice thunders through the line. Whitley’s eyes shoot to mine no doubt having heard him.
“You sent someone after me Eric. He had a knife to my spine,” I snap into the phone.
“Oh, shit is going to get real now,” Jackson sings which makes me giggle.
“Is that the motherfucker you’re sleeping with?” Eric asks.
“No. He’s gay.”
“Oh no honey. I’m not gay. I’m bisexual,” Jackson’s voice rings through the air.
All of us are laughing together, but the threat of Eric becomes nothing.
“You better get your ass back home Carnie. Don’t make me chase you down. I will. I will fucking find you. In fact, I know where you are right now. Maybe I should show up?”
His words chase the high right out of me. He can’t know where I am. Can he? I see Whitley grab her phone and start texting rapidly.
“Stay away from me Eric. You should have never sent someone after me. I was going to come home until you did that,” I inform him.
