by Nikki Landis
Wasn’t there any electricity?
“There’s a generator and running water but usually I just use the lanterns,” he explained as if Tarek could read my thoughts. “Keeps the propane usage down.”
“Uh, okay.”
Once a few were lit, he placed one on a nearby kitchen table surrounded by chairs. Another was placed on an end table next to a worn couch covered in woven tribal printed blankets. On the far side of the room he dropped the third onto a counter next to the sink. A row of cabinets covered most of that wall along with the sink. A fridge was parked on the right. An old buck stove stood in the very center, but I did see a grill pushed against another wall. Several coolers were stacked across from where I stood along with what looked like farm equipment. There was no television, but a radio perched on top of a bookcase filled with all genres of stories.
The only door was the one we entered through.
Where did people sleep?
That was when I noticed a few totes stacked to one side and what looked like an old worn dresser.
My eyes widened when I realized the entire space was one big circular room. Actually, it appeared to be an octagon.
“There’s a shower and a private bed behind here.”
I followed Tarek through a wall of tightly woven beads that hung to the ground. In the low lighting, they had appeared as a wall covering not a separation. A queen-sized bed, dresser, and clothing rack filled the space. A door was off to the left. Tarek opened it, showing the shower, sink, and toilet.
“I know it’s a little primitive, but it’s been in my family a long time.”
I nodded, unable to stop staring at the rows of wooden logs and the simple but sturdy structure. “It’s a place to sleep and that’s good enough for me.”
“I was hoping you’d say that. Why don’t you lay down on the bed? I’d like to take a look at your wound.”
Wound? Oh yes, I nearly forgot.
The mattress was much more comfortable than I anticipated, and I sank down, sighing with pleasure when I felt enveloped in a warm and soft cocoon. My eyes fluttered. The long drive from Phoenix combined with the adrenaline rush and left my body exhausted. As soon as I lay down at home earlier that afternoon, Dani called. My nap never happened. I yawned as Tarek pulled off my shoes and lifted my leg over his lap, sitting down at the end of the bed.
“You don’t have to stay awake, Synna. I’ll clean and bandage the wound carefully. It’s not deep. You’ll heal quickly.”
His words slurred in my head as I closed my eyes, unable to fight the urge to sleep any longer.
THE ROOM WAS MUCH BRIGHTER when I finally opened my eyes. Sunlight was trickling through the gaps in the beads and shining between the wooden blinds on the window. Tarek’s voice could be heard on the other side of the bedroom as I sat up. The words were muffled, and it was obvious he was trying to stay quiet, but his frustration was clear. I slipped on my shoes and slid from the bed, making my way into the bathroom.
A couple of minutes later I found Tarek.
In the light of day, the structure I was in was quite a bit more shocking. Painted art adorned the walls in a couple of places and a dream catcher hung above the couch. Simple pottery lined the open cupboards as well as a pantry that I had missed last night next to the fridge. The floor was hardwood, but it looked fairly new and something told me it was probably dirt or concrete before the update. The entire place had the feeling of a cabin or vacation rental instead of a permanent residence.
I stopped and stared at Tarek when I noticed what he was doing. Manipulating dough with his fingers, he was tearing little circles in cylindrical shaped dough. Tossing the dough around his hands like a small pizza, he then dropped it into hot oil. I watched as he fried the piece and then placed it on paper towels to cool.
“Frybread. A Navajo tradition.”
“You cook,” I replied stupidly. “From scratch.”
He snorted. “My mother would disagree. I’m sure she looks on with the spirits and shakes her head most of the time.” He shrugged, turning his attention to another hunk of dough as he shaped, poked holes, and then fried another piece.
A pot was cooking on the stove and it smelled good. Next to it was a metal carafe that strongly smelled of coffee.
“Help yourself. There’s not any creamer but I do have goat’s milk in the fridge and a sugar bowl on the table.” He reached for a mug and placed it in my hand. “The pot has a mutton stew. It’s simple but it’s hearty and goes well with the bread.”
It wasn’t long before I was enjoying a second cup of coffee and chewing on a piece of bread, dipping it into the stew. The meal was fantastic.
“This is delicious, Tarek.”
“My mother’s recipe. I can’t take the credit although I’ve watched her make it since I was a small boy.”
Tarek’s mother passed away when he was in high school. He was remarkably close to her and you could still see the pain of her loss in his eyes. His Navajo roots were deep, and she was everything to him growing up. I knew he spent a lot of his time on the reservation, so it was no surprise we ended up here. I should have noticed sooner.
The conversation was minimal while we ate. As my gaze flickered over him, I wanted to know all the skeletons he had buried, all the secrets he didn’t tell anyone else. There was so much about him that I still didn’t know.
Once Tarek had cleared the table and dishes, he sat across from me with a mug of coffee and tilted his head in my direction. “I’m sure you have a few questions.”
“Yeah. What did my brother say?” Ronin had to be freaking out.
Tarek frowned. “Ronin knows you’re safe here. He didn’t disagree it was best to lay low until we find out why Hyde’s Rock was attacked.”
“So, I’m on lockdown then? For how long?”
“That’s undecided.”
“By whose order?” I didn’t think my brother would be too keen on leaving me alone with Tarek. In fact, I was surprised Ronin hadn’t blown up my phone. When I checked my text messages, it was both brief and cryptic.
Ronin Stay with Tarek. Be safe. Love you.
“Hyde made the final decision.”
Of course, he did. Hyde decided everything and if he didn’t, Buzz did. There wasn’t a damn thing any of these guys did without permission from their president. A fact that had annoyed me for years simply because my brother and Tarek didn’t seem to have a mind of their own. I just didn’t get it.
Didn’t emergencies trump that kind of secrecy?
Whatever happened last night was big and the fact that Tarek was keeping all the information to himself meant it wasn’t going to be resolved quickly.
“I’m not a little girl anymore. You don’t have to protect me from what’s going on. I need to know what you find out, Tarek.”
“When I have something to tell you, I will.”
Pursing my lips, I shook my head. “Not good enough.”
He shrugged in response, clearly agitated by the situation.
“At least tell me if anyone was injured.”
“There were a few injuries. Mostly everyone is fine.” A small tick pulsed in his jaw and that was when I noticed that he was trying to keep a tight hold on his temper.
“Mostly?”
“A prospect was killed.”
Shocked, I sat back against the seat. “Oh, God. I’m so sorry.”
Tarek rose to his feet, walked briskly to the sink, and tossed in his mug. He didn’t say a word until his hand was on the doorknob. Bright sunlight and scorching heat entered the moment he stepped outside.
“I’ll be back in a minute. Don’t worry. I’m not leaving you.”
He shut the door before I could respond.
It was nearly two hours before he made his way back inside. Shirt slung over his glistening left shoulder; Tarek was bare from the waist up. Dirt and sweat were smeared on his upper body, clinging to the grooves and valleys that dipped between the defined muscles in his torso and chest. Each abdominal w
as pronounced and I almost had to catch the drool that wanted to drip down my chin. He was always handsome. The passage of time only increased the strong line of his jaw, the broad shoulders that tapered down to his stomach into that perfect Adonis belt.
This man was so much more than just a bail agent or bounty hunter. He was a biker. My childhood friend. A Navajo Indian.
My first love.
Swallowing hard, I reached into the fridge and pulled out a cold bottle of water, handing it over. In his absence, I had plenty of time to explore the small space. “What are we staying in?”
“A hogan,” he answered simply. “It’s a sacred dwelling of my people.”
Tarek never mentioned much about his heritage in the past. I knew he was half Navajo. His mother lived on the reservation until she died, part of the Navajo Nation. Tarek’s father was a white man. He never knew him. His life experience was vastly different from my own. Two feet in two entirely separate worlds, Tarek was always walking a line between his Navajo heritage and modern society.
“Is this your mother’s hogan?”
“Yes. It’s not just a shelter, but a protection, a home, and a refuge. A place to endure hardships and grow as part of the harmony between the sacred mountains under the care of "Mother Earth" and "Father Sky".”
Blinking, I wasn’t sure what he meant entirely but I understood the fact that a hogan was special to him, especially the one we were in. “I never knew that much about your heritage. We didn’t speak of it.”
“We never had the chance,” he replied bitterly, and I took a step back. He was obviously in a mood. “I’m going to take a shower.”
Tarek nearly bumped into my shoulder as he rushed forward and the urge to reach out and soothe the angry beast within him was almost overwhelming. It wasn’t my place to comfort him or offer anything else. Tarek and I were nothing more than two acquaintances from the past.
There were too many obstacles to hurdle in order to change the path we were on.
As I heard the water running and the splashing that confirmed he was occupied, my gaze swept over the hogan. Tarek’s phone was on the dining room table where he’d dropped it when he picked up the water bottle. It kept buzzing as the screen lit up.
I didn’t mean to pry or sneak or put my nose in his business, but he left it there, display side up. There was no way to avoid the messages that scrolled by as I looked down.
Hyde Bones is dead.
Hyde Pick up the damn phone Tarek.
Ronin Where’s Synna?
Ronin Tarek!
Ronin Tell me she’s safe!
Heather Tarek I need you.
Heather Babe?
Heather Call me back.
I wasn’t pissed until I saw the last few texts.
Heather Downs. The major reason Tarek and I never found our happy ending.
Filled with sudden anger and the familiar feeling of betrayal, I turned around as Tarek entered the room in nothing but a towel. His upper body was covered in little dewy droplets of water. Lust and desire mixed with disgust and my own unexpected response. I leveled him with a glare that probably could have knocked him to the ground if I had that kind of power.
Hands clenched at my sides, I narrowed my eyes and then lifted an accusing finger.
“You’re still a liar.”
Chapter 6 – Tarek
Embrace the Rage (Message from Sylvia)
“You’re still a liar.”
Dumbfounded, I couldn’t figure out why Synna was staring at me with such open hostility. I’d forgotten to grab a change of clothes before I hopped in the shower and was forced to enter the main room of the hogan before I could get dressed. My thoughts had been a scattered, reckless mess.
I was pissed that someone had targeted the club and was brazen enough to show up to the Rock and open fire. Synna could have died. It was bad enough that she was injured. Our newest prospect had been watching the bikes out front and doing his rounds when he was shot in the back of the head. My brother Bones was in the hospital with severe injuries to his lungs and abdomen. He’d been shot while covering his ol’ lady and another brother who’d been shot in the leg.
It was all too much.
Who the fuck thought they could mess with the Lords of Wrath?
Hyde and Buzz were pissed. Hyde’s Rock was on lockdown along with the rest of the compound. Extra security was posted at the gates of the property and outside the building. Hyde even called in a few favors, gaining extra manpower from our brother chapter in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Nevada Lords were close with the Reapers in the Tonopah chapter of the Royal Bastards MC. Those guys were scary motherfuckers and I was glad they were among those we considered allies.
Both the Nevada clubs sent men to help with our predicament. The SAA from the RBMC was Azrael, the Angel of Death. Earned that nickname legit. He brought along his brother Wraith who was just as intimidating with gold caps on his front teeth and canines that were filed into sharp points. Both men wore black and white skull-themed makeup on their faces like it was Halloween year-round. Azrael and Wraith were on their way and hadn’t reached Flagstaff yet, but I knew they would be here sometime in the next day or two. Crusher was the pres of the Nevada Lords and he sent Bandit and Ripper. They should arrive around the same time as Azrael and Wraith.
Hyde’s Rock was gonna be full and every room occupied but none of that mattered when there was a threat against the club. Members, ol’ ladies, and club whores alike were under our protection. None of us would stop until we found out who was targeting the MC and why.
Synna’s safety was my top priority in addition to helping the club find and eliminate this threat. That was the reason I was so confused when she called me a liar.
“What the hell are you talking about?”
Yanking clothes from the dresser, I dropped the towel as I turned around and shoved my legs into a pair of boxers. Adding a t-shirt and jeans, I was mildly aggravated when I faced her again and she hadn’t answered.
With a dainty finger pointed toward my phone, she nearly growled her next words. “Look.”
I didn’t bother trying to figure out why she wanted me to check my messages. Hyde and Ronin knew I had work to do if I was gonna stay on the rez. Life was harder here, and I had chores if Synna and I wanted food. Not to mention the fact that I needed more wood.
When I looked at my cell, my heart sank. Bones was gone.
I dialed Ronin first.
“What the fuck, bro?” he shouted, clearly pissed.
“Synna is fine. She’s safe. Where’s Hyde?”
“Right here,” he answered in the background. I was clearly on speaker.
“How’s Carly?” Bones had an ol’ lady named Carly and she was a sweetheart.
“Not taking it well, Tarek. Bones is gonna be missed by everyone.”
“Creeper too,” Ronin added, listing the new prospect we just lost. He was Creeper’s sponsor.
“What’s the plan?” I asked, cutting straight to the point. “How long do you want me to stay on the rez with Synna?”
“As long as it takes,” Ronin grumbled.
“Hey, wait a minute,” Synna protested from behind me but none of us acknowledged her outburst.
“I want a piece of this guy, Hyde. He attacked our club and hurt Synna.”
“It’s just a scratch,” she mumbled under her breath.
“I need you with Synna, Tarek. I can’t worry about her and track this fucker down at the same time.” Ronin wasn’t gonna budge. I could tell.
Hyde agreed. “For now. We’ll text when we know something. I gotta settle this shit about Bones and Creeper. Two funerals, man.” Hyde’s voice was deeper than usual, and I knew he was fighting his own demons and emotions. “Stay in touch.”
“I will,” I promised, setting down the phone with a sigh. Two brothers killed. The loss was brutal.
“Aren’t you going to look at the other messages?” Synna’s sarcasm was the last thing I needed.
To humor
her, I picked up the cell and then cursed loudly. “Are you fuckin’ kidding me? How did Heather get this number?”
Synna was looking at me with total hatred in her eyes. “Right. Like you aren’t texting her. After everything that happened, how can you possibly still talk to that skank?”
If I wasn’t so aggravated by everything else happening around us, I might have noticed the slight catch in her voice that betrayed her feelings. I didn’t. Instead, I went from annoyed to flat out pissed, fast.
“Are you serious? You think you can drive back into Flagstaff and my life and question me after leaving for four years and forgetting that I even exist?” I slammed my phone down and stalked my way in front of her, forcing her backward until her back met the wall. “You didn’t give two shits about me since the day you left. You want to judge me? Act like I owe you anything? Go for it, Synna. Just proves you haven’t changed at all.”
She recoiled like I had smacked her, tears filling her eyes briefly before she blinked them back. “I guess nothing has really changed at all, has it? You’re still selfish. You still lie and keep secrets. I don’t know why I expected anything different. I don’t,” her voice broke and she lifted her chin, her pretty hazel eyes swimming with betrayal and pain as she continued, “I guess we have nothing more to say to one another.”
Synna shoved at my chest but I wouldn’t budge. I didn’t want to argue with her, and I really didn’t want to rehash our past. I hated the fact that we were fighting. Seeing the hurt in her eyes caused an ache to fill my heart. She wasn’t just some girl from my past. Synna wasn’t a fling.
The pretty brunette with light brown hair and eyes that seemed to search the depths of my soul was everything to me and I didn’t want our argument to ruin the possibility of a second chance. I let my temper rule my actions instead of trying to talk about why she was so upset. My anger fizzled out as I realized I hurt her just now with my words.
Sighing, I lowered my head until we were only a few inches apart. “I didn’t mean that. Lashing out at you was wrong.”
She closed her eyes briefly and then shook her head. “That’s the truth, though. We’re both not over what happened in the past and as long as that’s the case, we’re not ready to move forward.”
