by KJ Dahlen
“I’m not shocked, Talon. You know that.”
“You look pretty shocked to me.”
“It’s not about what happened.”
“Then what is it?”
“Everything you used to say to me.”
“Like what?”
“About taking the club over and stopping this kind of stuff.”
Talon looked down at her, an angry glare burning in his eyes.
Fiona decided to just keep her mouth shut. She just couldn’t do that well, but she’d better learn quick. She’d just stepped right in it and there was no backtracking.
She was safe. Bret was safe. Talon was alive. She needed to be grateful for those things.
At least for now.
“Damn, he’s hogging the entire bed.”
Fiona smiled and nudged her elbow at Talon. “He deserves it.”
Talon snorted. “Little shit doesn’t know a thing about life.”
“Oh, believe me, he does.” Fiona sighed.
It was getting late and Bret luckily, had crashed hard. He was on his back, arms and legs sprawled out, enjoying the bed.
“Hey, you’re looking rough on your arm,” Fiona whispered. “Can I please help?”
Talon looked over and growled under his breath. “Yeah, sure. Let’s go into the bathroom.”
“Do all the rooms here have bathrooms?”
“Hell no, sweetheart. I’m the VP. I get what I want.” Talon smirked and winked. He led the way, holding the door open for Fiona. Inside the bathroom, he turned and leaned against the sink. “Have at it, doc.”
“Leather cut has to come off.”
Talon pushed from the sink and closed in on Fiona. “Take it off for me.”
The command may not have seemed like much, but it really was. You weren’t allowed to touch one of their cuts unless they asked. Or commanded or were their old lady, which she wasn’t.
Fiona swallowed hard, nodding, reaching for Talon’s rock hard body. She slipped her fingers under the leather cut and leaned toward him, sliding it down his massive arms. Talon almost smirked, knowing what this meant. He was messing with her. Fiona knew it. She kind of liked it too. It was a needed distraction.
Once she had the leather cut in her hand, she stepped back and handed it to Talon.
“Hang it from the doorknob,” he said.
She turned, her face on fire, reminding herself she was here for protection, not seduction.
When she turned back to face Talon, he had his sleeve rolled up. His tattooed laced arms were full of muscle and power. He pulled the bandage off his arm, showing a nasty looking cut. The bullet had done more than graze him. It had ripped through flesh.
“That might need a stitch or two,” Fiona said.
“Bring needle and thread?”
“What? No.”
“Then patch it up and move on.”
“Talon...”
“Look, Fi. I’m not some corporate executive with a cushiony healthcare plan.”
“I know that,” Fiona said rolling her eyes. She took a fresh bandage from the pile on the sink and got close to Talon as she put it on his arm. She pressed, wincing for him, but he didn’t make a move. She had forgotten how tough he really was.
“The shit you’re in,” he said to her. “You’ve seen this stuff before?”
“To a point,” Fiona said. “Not bikers, but it’s gotten nasty.”
“Yeah. I didn’t want you to see that shit, sweetheart.”
“But I did.”
“It’s not fair to the kid.”
“It’s my fault. For everything in his life.”
Talon turned and touched her face. “Hey. You’re doing fucking great with him.”
“Oh, yeah, right. Look at me. On the run. He has a blanket and a couple toys. Nothing else.”
“Goddamit, Fiona, it’s better than nothing,” Talon said. “He’s got you. You’re tough. You’re smart.”
“Am I?” Fiona asked. “I’m standing in a bathroom helping to bandage up a biker who took a bullet from some Russian mob guy.”
“The bullet grazed me, sweetheart. And being alone with me can’t be that bad of a thing. Right?” Talon stroked Fiona’s cheek.
Dammit, it was instant heat head to toe. Heat to places that felt so good but were so wrong at the same time. Her knees started to buckle by just the wild look in his eyes.
“Fuck, babe, we lost some years back there, huh?” Talon asked as he inched forward a little.
Fiona snapped back to reality. “That’s because you rejected me, Talon.”
His lips were close enough that Fiona could taste the whiskey on his breath. He sucked in air. He never talked about it.
What happened. Why he did what he did.
The bathroom door suddenly opened.
Talon spun around and Fiona expected it to be one of the bikers but it was Bret.
“I have to pee,” Bret said.
“Have at it, kid,” Talon said.
Fiona followed Talon from the bathroom and let out a gasp when she saw someone sitting on the corner of the bed.
“Prez.” Talon stared at him.
“Don’t mind me,” Eagle said. He put his hands to his knees and stood up. “The little guy woke up and we were chatting about life for a minute. Wasn’t sure what you two were doing in there.”
“Getting patched up,” Talon said.
“Right,” Eagle said. “No judgment here. Came to talk to you, VP. Step outside with me.” Eagle moved toward the door.
Talon looked over at Fiona. “I’ll be back.”
“Talon... we can’t let anything happen. We can’t go back there.”
Talon slowly nodded. “Easier said than done.” Without hesitation, he made a quick move and planted a kiss to her lips.
Fiona stepped back and expected to fall over. She managed to keep standing and watched Talon exit the room.
He stole her breath that fast.
Just imagine how fast he’d steal her heart. Dammit, she was in bigger trouble now.
CHAPTER TEN
Fiona waited until the door closed behind them before she sank down on the bed. Just the touch of his lips on hers brought back memories she couldn’t’t stop from crashing back. Bringing her fingers to her lips she savored the feeling for a moment then Bret climbed up on the bed with her shaking her lose from the dream she was caught up in.
She turned to her son and smiled. “Hey sweet bear, how you doing?”
Bret grinned his little boy grin. “I’m doing mama, I’m doing.”
Fiona chuckled out loud and gathered him close to her. “Oh sweet bear, this isn’t the kind of life I wanted for you.”
Bret turned to look at her. “But mama I got you with me that’s really all I need. And we both got Talon, he can protect us now. Can’t he?”
Fiona sighed heavily. “Yeah baby bear, he can protect us now.”
“Good, cuz I don’t like that other guy.” Bret told her.
“What other guy?” Fiona asked her son with a frown.
“That bad Mr. Devin.”
Fiona caught her breath. “How do you know about Devin?” she whispered. She’d always shielded him from the man and never let him near Brett.
“He came to see me once when I was with Maggie,” Bret told her. “He’s not a nice man is he? He scared Maggie. He just pushed his way into her apartment and he came over to me ...” Bret looked up at his mom with tears in his eyes. “He hit me mama. He grabbed my arm and he slapped me. He told me I was I was nothing but trouble and he didn’t like trouble.”
Fiona tightened her hold on her son and began to rock his slowly. “Oh baby, I’m so sorry that happened to you. Why didn’t you ever tell me?” Tears rolled down her cheeks. She’d failed so miserably. She’d failed him.
“Mr. Devin told me not to say anything,” he admitted. “He said that if I told you about his visit he’d find a way to hurt me again.” He half turned and wiggled into her arms. His tiny hands crept around her neck
and he hugged her close. “I’m sorry mama. I was so scared.”
“Oh, baby bear.” Fiona whispered as she sniffled through her tears. “None of this is your fault sweet baby. And don’t you worry about Devin. He won’t ever hurt you again.”
Fiona rocked him back to sleep. As she laid him down, she studied his features. Her heart beat faster in her chest as she was beginning to find Talon in her son. She’d tried to ignore it before, as if that would change the fact. Bret wasn’t a baby anymore and he was taking more and more after his father. That both thrilled her and scared her silly.
She wasn’t sure what Talon would do if he knew he had a son. Bret was all she had in this world. Her own family was gone. Not that they ever cared about what happened to her but they were supposed to care.
At least for a while when she had Talon, she had someone that cared. At least she knew what that felt like for a little while. Then everything went to hell on her and rather than stand and fight for him, she took the coward’s way out and ran off.
She looked at Bret again. Then he came into her life and that’s when she realized he was the one good thing she had left. The one good thing that meant the world to her.
She remembered the first time she held his tiny body to hers, right after he was born. He was so tiny, so trusting. He snuggled down into her arms and slept a peaceful sleep. The nurses had been amazed at how quickly he settled in her arms. He’d been crying the whole way to her room but as soon as she took him, he settled down.
She’d been so afraid of that moment. She grew up with indifference from both her parents and her brother. She prayed that she wouldn’t feel the same way toward her son.
The moment the nurse laid him in her arms, Fiona knew she loved him. She knew he belonged right there, safe in her arms. And it had been that way every single day since then. As long as they were together, she knew he was safe and so did he. But that hadn’t been true had it? She wanted to kick Devin in the balls all over again and this time, stomp on him while he was down.
She brushed his hair away from Brett’s face and smiled. She prayed that he would grow up to be a better man than his father, or his grandfather. Talon wasn’t a bad man per se, but sometimes he made bad decisions, everyone did. She knew she certainly did but this boy? He wasn’t one of her bad decisions. She couldn’t imagine life without him now.
With a soft sigh, Fiona laid down next to him and gathered him close to her. He was the best thing that ever happened to her. She knew she would have to tell Talon about him. She hoped Talon would keep him safe if anything happened to her.
She took a deep breath and inhaled his baby scent. It was fresh and clean compared to everything else in the room. Then Talon’s scent crept into her nose. It was spicy and smelled of leather and earth. Breathing it in settled a small piece of her soul and for a moment, she felt at home. Talon had been home to her a long time ago and he was again now, in this moment. He was home to her.
Fiona closed her eyes and drifted to sleep holding onto that scent.
Talon followed Eagle out into the hall and over to another room. Eagle’s office. The Prez closed the door behind them which meant this conversation was private.
“What’s up Prez?” Talon sat down in the chair opposite his and stared at him.
Eagle sat down behind his desk. “I need to know why she’s here. She came here for a reason. You brought her here to us for protection for a reason. I need to know what that reason is. Who is she running from?”
Talon shrugged. “She said she was working as a waitress is some titty bar as a waitress, in Santa Rosa for a man named Devin.”
Eagle sat up in his chair and swore. “Devin Brooks? That who she running from?”
Talon frowned a bit and nodded.
“Why? What did she do to piss him off?” Eagle demanded.
“She swore she only borrowed a hundred bucks to get her son some medicine and I believe her.” He shrugged. “When he found her and demanded the money back he was pissed and the reason she ran was that he was gonna shoot her kid.”
“Fuck!” Eagle swore and ran his hands over the back of his head.
“Who is this fucker anyway?” Talon wanted to know.
Eagle glared at him. “Devin Brooks is a small time hood, he ain’t nothing, but the men he fronts for are something.”
“Who the fuck are they?” Talon frowned.
“They’re the type of men you never want to meet in a dark alley late at night,” Eagle warned him. “Mob men.”
“Bratva?”
Eagle shook his head. “No these guys came over from the boot of Italy. They made their bones in New York and the East coast before coming here to the west coast. They’re passions run hot and so do their tempers and they like being cheated even less than the Russians do.”
Talon’s frown deepened. “All this over a hundred bucks? Something doesn’t seem kosher here.”
“I agree, you need to talk to her and find out what really went down.” Eagle sat back again. “Hopefully before we got company coming. If this fucker Devin comes here looking for her, he’s bringing trouble with him.” He stared at Talon for a moment then added, “If you can’t get answers by morning I’ll have a talk to her.”
Talon stared hard at him. No fucking way would he allow that. “I don’t think her story will change any and I don’t think she would lie about something like that.”
“Did she tell you how old the kid is?” Eagle demanded.
Talon glared at the other man. “I think he’s three why?”
“And when does he turn four? Did she tell you that?”
Talon felt something way down inside his soul spark to life with Eagle’s question. Something he’d never felt before, something akin to what? Hope? He slowly shook his head.
Eagle stared at him for a moment, “Maybe you should ask her.” Then he sighed and leaned forward in his chair. Catching Talon’s eyes, he told him, “Dimitri called back.”
“What the fuck did he want now?” Talon growled. “He’ll get his fucking money.”
Eagle chuckled. “He said he was impressed by your style. Didn’t know you had style VP.”
Talon snorted. “Yeah, I’ll bet he was.”
Eagle waved his comment away. “Anyway, he said there might be a way we could make up the difference in what Hammer had and the amount due.”
Talon glared at his President. “And what would that be?”
“He was telling me about the underground fights they put on. They pit one man against another with no holds barred and they fight until one man goes down.”
Talon shook his head. “Yeah, I’ve heard about those fights, they’re nothing but a free for all and the loser often loses more than just the match. Some of the men don’t come out of the cage alive.”
Eagle nodded. “I’ve heard that as well.” He shrugged. “But I had to tell you about his offer.”
“What did you tell him?” Talon tipped his head to one side.
He shrugged his wide shoulders. “Told him we’d think about it. He reminded me not to think too long, he needed his money sooner rather than later.”
Talon ran his hand tiredly along his jaw. “Why me? Other than the fact I have style?”
“No clue but the woman and kid have to stay here now, you do know that, right? Dimitri could snatch them from your apartment and force you to fight for them.”
Talon nodded then rose to his feet. “I’m going to bed. Today has been a fucking long ass day and tomorrow doesn’t look any better.”
“Dimitri wants a decision as soon as possible.”
Talon sighed. “I’d like to tell him to cram it up his fucking ass but this might give us some breathing room. I’m not trained as a fighter but in a street brawl, I can hold my own.”
“Not wounded you can’t.” Eagle pointed out. “I think he had this planned all along.”
Talon glanced over at the slight wound he had on his arm and shrugged it off. “That ain’t nothing. Barely a graze.”
<
br /> “Still tore through your muscle. It weakened your arm. Dimitri looks like a man who usually gets what he aims at. He was looking for a way to weaken you.”
“Let’s wait until morning and see how it feels then,” Talon suggested.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
When Talon went back to his bedroom, he found the boy asleep on his bed. There was no sign of Fiona but the bathroom door was shut. He walked over to it and heard movement inside. He went back to the door and locked it. Then he went back to the bathroom door and waited. When he heard the shower start, Talon smiled.
Taking off his cut, he laid it on the back of the chair and began to strip off his clothes. Then he opened the bathroom door and disappeared inside. Steam clouded the room but he knew where he was going. Opening the shower door, he slipped inside.
Her body was under the hot spray of water. Her head hung low and she was sobbing. Her tears fell with the raining water as her whole body shook.
Talon stopped dead in his tracks. All thoughts of fucking her left as he studied her. He didn’t know what her story was but right now at this moment in time, he wanted to gather her in his arms and keep her safe, both her and her son.
He stepped the rest of the way into the shower and gently gathered her wet warm body in his arms.
Fiona struggled at first then allowed him to pull her into an embrace.
He just held her for the longest time. And she let him. When her arms reached out and wrapped around his waist Talon hugged her to him a little tighter. There was nothing sexual in either of their touches. They were just giving each other comfort, the kind of comfort that not many people could find.
Talon closed his eyes and remembered this from the past. She’d just been a kid when he met her. Way too young for an old man like him but he hadn’t been able to resist her charms.
He’d been 34 years old to her young 17 year old self. He should have known better than to be tempted but he took one look at her and he just couldn’t stop.
He’d taken her virginity the first time they were together and that should have told him something. Something maybe he should have listened to but didn’t. Each and every time they were together had been better than the last.
