Colt (Desert Sinners MC Book 2)

by Rachel Lyn Adams

  Before anything could happen between us, booming, heavy boot steps caught my attention. “Glad you’re both here.” Viking looked to see if anyone else was around. “My office, now!”

  It was unusual to see Viking worked up, so I leaped out of my seat to follow him.

  “Gotta go, babe.” I smacked Tara’s ass as I moved past her. “I’ll come find you when I’m done.”

  Her face lit up at my promise for more to come later. She walked away, but not without shaking her ass as she went.

  Viking didn’t wait for us to sit before starting. “I got a phone call from Fitz. It sounds like the Phantoms made their way back to Reno. Ice and a few of his guys came across them at a diner, and all hell broke loose. Ice is currently being held on felony assault charges.”

  “Shit!” I slammed my hands down on the desk in front of me. We couldn’t afford to have any of our guys locked up right now. Reno had enough crap on their plate, with their transition to a new president. They didn’t need that president behind bars and another person stepping in to run the show. And, the thought of Torch taking over did not sit well with me at all. I took a deep breath and turned to Viking. “What’s the plan?”

  “Word is Ice will be doing some time. His lawyers are already looking into a plea deal. We’ll be riding up there to help come up with some contingency plans for their club while he’s locked up. Needless to say, the surveillance mission has been put on hold.”

  I knew we had to go, but I wasn’t excited about leaving. There was too much shit going on here, never mind seeing Ember again. She’d crossed my mind more times than I could count since she left and it annoyed the hell out of me since she was exactly the kind of woman I didn’t want or need to get involved with. And, missing out on an opportunity to gain some intel didn’t bode well for us.

  Viking excused us from his office with the order to be ready to ride out at a moment’s notice. I needed to call my dad and Jenna, but that could wait until tomorrow. For now, I needed to rid my head of thoughts of seeing Ember again. Knowing Tara was waiting for me was the distraction I needed. But, when I saw her brassy, almost orange hair instead of the natural dark red hair I could still remember wrapped around my hands, she no longer held any appeal. Fuck! This shit with Reno was messing with my head. I needed to push away all thoughts of Ember, and I knew a sure-fire way to do just that. Ignoring the fact she wasn’t the one I desired, I walked across the room, grabbed Tara’s hand, and pulled her upstairs to my room.

  5

  Ember

  I couldn’t stop pacing across my room as I waited for my brother to call me down to his office. At breakfast, he mentioned needing to talk to me about Phoebe and some other changes coming up, but then he disappeared with Viking, Hawk, Fitz, and Colt. As the hours passed, I tried to think of all the possible things he needed to speak to me about.

  I’d been on edge since we bailed James out of jail last week. His arrest couldn’t have come at a worse time. The club was still trying to acclimate to James being in charge, there was shit going on with another club, and he didn’t even know about the things I was dealing with behind closed doors—trying my best to keep him and our sister out of harm's way.

  My stomach was in knots, and I was fighting the urge to rush down to the room where they held church, barge in, and demand he tell me what was going on. Once the text from my brother asking me to join them finally came through, my anxiety was at an all-time high.

  Standing at the door, I took a couple of deep breaths, knocked, and waited for my brother to grant me permission to enter. I could count on one hand the number of times I was allowed in this room. That fact only added to the sense of dread I was already feeling about this meeting.

  I looked around as I stepped inside. Everyone appeared stressed. My brother’s hair was sticking up in all different directions, likely from him running his fingers through it repeatedly. Viking’s brows were furrowed, but when he looked up at me, he attempted to give me a small smile. I tried to look at Colt, but he refused to turn his gaze in my direction.

  Next to me, Fitz stood up and offered me his chair. He gave me an encouraging smile, but it didn’t do much for my nerves. During the week he and Hawk had been here, we hadn’t spoken much other than that brief conversation at the party. When I sat down, he moved behind me and rested his hands on my shoulders. “Relax, Ember. Everything’s going to be fine.”

  I wanted to believe him, but one look in Torch’s direction, and I knew I’d already fucked up. His eyes were glued to Fitz’s hands, and I wiggled a little to dislodge the touch that I’d found comforting.

  While I knew it was a good thing for the club to have Fitz’s help, his presence had been the cause of several arguments between Torch and me. I tried to explain to him numerous times there was no attraction between Fitz and me, just a friendship, but Torch refused to believe me. As much as I hated letting Torch dictate my life, I found myself avoiding my friend the best I could while he was here.

  Needing to think about anything other than Torch’s anger, I turned to my brother. “You said you wanted to talk about Phoebe. Is everything okay?”

  The thought of anything happening to my sister made my stomach roll and panic wash over me. It’s why I’d endured the last six months of abuse from a man everyone assumed I was in love with. I would do anything to make sure she never experienced anything like my own personal hell.

  “I’ve decided to take the plea deal the lawyer is working on, which means I’m going to be locked up for six months.”

  I nodded my head because that wasn’t a surprise. There was too much evidence, including camera footage from the diner. My brother would be found guilty if he went to trial, and we would have wasted time and money instead of trying to move past this.

  “I’ve convinced Mom to stay in New York for the time being, and I think it would be best if Phoebe went to stay with her,” James continued. “Viking’s friendly with a club there, and their president has offered to keep an eye on them.”

  That was excellent news, and I felt a small sigh of relief past my lips. She hadn’t wanted to go when James mentioned it before, but with him going to jail, it was the best option. I wanted nothing more than to get Phoebe away from here. Far away from the man who promised daily to hurt her if I didn’t do as he said. I hesitated for a moment to respond because I knew as soon as I told James I agreed with him, I was subjecting myself to a night of punishment.

  “If you think she’ll be safe, I think it’s a great idea. I can talk to her if you want me to.”

  “I wouldn’t have suggested having my friend keep an eye on her and your mother if I didn’t think he could keep them safe.”

  I smiled at Viking, grateful he cared enough about us to help while we tried to navigate this crazy situation.

  I wanted to ask my brother what was going to happen with the club while he was locked up, but I knew it wasn’t my place. He might give me a few details, but he would keep most of it to himself. I assumed Torch would be taking over since he was vice president, and that thought sent a shiver down my spine.

  No one knew how much I feared the man sitting in this room, and the thought of living here with him in charge was enough to have me contemplate running away. If I could make sure Phoebe was safe, maybe I could finally do just that.

  Figuring there was nothing else they needed me for, I started to get up.

  “Wait a second.” My brother’s voice forced me to sit back down. “I’m also worried about you.”

  “I’ll be fine on my own, don’t worry about me,” I insisted.

  “I’d feel better if you were with Mom and Phoebe while the club deals with this shit,” James continued, ignoring my determination to take care of myself.

  Most of the time, I had no choice in anything. I did what I was told. Same for Phoebe and Mom. In the end, it didn’t matter what James or I wanted. Torch would never let me leave. He needed me near him to make me compliant and being in NYC meant he’d lose control of whatever
personal agenda he had going.

  “I don’t want to leave Torch. I feel safest with him,” I said, the words making bile rise up my throat. It took everything to keep my composure and not crack. But the pleased look on Torch’s face meant that things would stay calm. At the same time, Colt’s expression darkened, like something I’d said bothered him.

  However, James hesitated, and that put me on guard. “I know Torch would do anything to keep you safe”—I wished everyone could hear my internal scoff at that statement—“but he’ll be running the club, taking care of everyone else, and keeping me updated on everything while I’m in prison so his focus can’t be on you. Neither can the others in the club—we got shit we’re dealing with, and they have to watch their own backs and their families. That leaves just you without my protection. I’m not risking anything happening to you if you won’t go to New York with Phoebe. So, as a compromise, Viking has offered to take you back to Las Vegas with him. He’s got a lot more men and resources than we do here and it’ll be safer for you, in general. The choice is yours.”

  Shit. This was one of those rare moments where I wanted a decision to be made for me. Of course, I would rather go with Viking, because going to New York would give Torch access to Phoebe if he decided to come see me. But verbalizing my desire could mean consequences I wasn’t ready to face. I looked over to Viking, Fitz, and Colt. Fitz had a hopeful smile on his face, and I knew he wouldn’t mind if I moved back, even if it was only temporary. Viking wore his usual stoic expression, but he wouldn’t have offered unless he meant it. But the one person whose reaction I was seeking, refused to look at me.

  I didn’t know why it mattered to me, but I wanted Colt to be okay with me returning to Vegas. It soon became clear that I would be waiting an eternity to get any sort of response from him, and I couldn’t sit here any longer without giving my brother an answer.

  I closed my eyes and said a silent prayer this wouldn’t come back to bite me in the ass. “I’ll go back to Vegas.”

  My brother nodded his head, looking relieved. “I think that’s the right choice. We’ve got some more stuff to talk about, but I’ll come find you later so we can talk to Phoebe together.”

  Knowing I’d been dismissed, I got up to leave. Against my better judgment, I glanced in Torch’s direction. The hatred shining back at me was almost enough for me to change my mind. Leaving wasn’t a choice, it was the only way I would survive.

  I knew going back to Torch’s room here in the clubhouse was a bad idea, so I hopped in my tiny hatchback and drove over to our family’s house. Phoebe wasn’t expected home for a few more hours since she worked late on Friday nights at the local mall, so I had time to prepare for how I would broach the subject of her moving to New York. I was afraid she was going to fight us if she had to leave her friends and she still had her senior year to complete, but that was just logistics and small details to overcome when one’s life was at stake. I would do everything possible to convince her. Both of our fates depended on her leaving.

  Sitting around with nothing to do gave me plenty of time to think about what moving to Vegas meant for me, and I could feel the excitement building up inside of me. While the thought of my brother going to jail worried me and living across the country from my mom and sister was not what I would call ideal, it would take the pressure off of me making sure they stayed out of harm’s way.

  The one thing bothering me was knowing I would see Colt regularly if I lived there. And since we were in full-blown crisis mode with James’ arrest, I hadn’t been surprised to see him walk into the clubhouse this morning. It made sense that the vice president of the mother club would come help make a plan for my brother’s absence, but the moment I saw him, it was clear his opinion of me hadn’t changed. His eyes roamed over my body, and I could feel myself blush under his scrutinizing gaze, but when he looked up again, I saw the disgust on his face.

  It was stupid that I allowed him to hold any sort of power over me. It had been years since anything happened between us, and not only had he treated me like shit the next day, I’d moved on years ago. But I hated how he looked at me, it felt personal. We’d started off fine when he’d approached me at the Vegas clubhouse, but suddenly, he had done a one-eighty and wanted nothing to do with me. That hurt a lot more than I expected. I had enough to deal with and I didn’t need another enemy. What I needed to do was forget everything about Colt and focus on the opportunity I was being handed.

  Not knowing how soon I would be moving, I walked to my room to start planning what I needed to pack. Moments after I entered, pounding on my front door stopped me in my tracks. The interruption was as unwelcome as the dozens of text messages I’d received since I’d left the clubhouse. I didn’t need to look out the window to know Torch was here because I hadn’t responded to his texts and he decided to take his harassment a bit further by showing up at my house.

  “I know you’re home; open the fucking door, Ember.”

  The anger in his voice didn’t encourage me to follow his command, but I knew I couldn’t ignore him. I padded across the living room, trying to figure out how to get out of the situation I created for myself with one decision.

  “Hey,” I said through the screen door. My voice was calm, but I could feel my entire body quaking with fear.

  “You’re not going to let me in?” The question was a bit ridiculous since Torch never let anyone tell him what he could or couldn’t do.

  Deciding it was better to let him come in and say what he wanted than to try to stand here and argue with him, I opened the door and moved to the side to let him enter.

  I watched him as he walked into my house like he had every right to be here. And maybe in some way he did. The club owned this house, the club he was the vice president of. It was a role he wouldn’t have if my father hadn’t died six months ago, and my brother became president, leaving the VP position vacant.

  “What are you doing here?” I asked, trying to sound unaffected while hiding my trembling hands from his view.

  “Don’t play dumb. You know exactly why I’m here.”

  He wasn’t wrong.

  “I didn’t have any choice,” I began to argue, feeling bold—and frustrated. “James backed me into a corner when he got Viking involved.”

  Using my brother as an excuse for my decision was a chicken-shit way of handling things, but I didn’t know what else to do.

  “You should have tried harder and now you’re going to pay for this little move of yours.” His confidence caused alarm bells to sound in my head. “I know you’re just as protective of Ice as he is of you,” he said as he crowded my space, causing me to back up until I hit the wall behind me.

  My entire body was quaking in fear, but Torch wouldn’t be happy until he felt I was completely at his mercy. He wrapped one large hand around my throat and squeezed. Caught off guard, I froze, black spots soon filling my vision.

  “Now listen here, you stupid cunt,” he snarled, spit hitting my face. “I haven’t wasted all my time with your sorry ass for you to ruin my plans now.” I was clawing at his hands, hoping he would loosen his grip enough for me to take a breath, but he continued to hold me tight. “But, don’t worry, I have a way of insuring your obedience.”

  He leaned down and ran his tongue up the side of my face, I could feel his erection digging into my hip. The psycho always got aroused by hurting me and I could feel my stomach revolting from the feel of his touch. I prayed for the darkness from the lack of oxygen to take over so I wouldn’t feel any more pain at his hands.

  Of course, I wasn’t that lucky. Just as I felt myself on the brink of unconsciousness, he threw me down to the ground. My throat burned, my lungs taking in as much air as possible. My vision was still spotty but starting to clear.

  Torch getting physical with me wasn’t anything new, but nearly choking me to death was as extreme as he’d gotten. I’d always had my brother’s status to protect me—but after he went to prison, it’d no longer be the case. I’d trul
y be alone and the thought hit me hard.

  He bent down and grasped my chin in his hands, applying the same amount of pressure he’d used on my throat. “I have a proposition for you, and you’re not in any position to turn it down,” he sneered.

  Looking for an escape, I glanced down, and that’s when I noticed the manila envelope he had in his other hand.

  “Go ahead and take a look, and if this isn’t enough, I can go find Phoebe and give her a nice going-away present,” he threatened as he held up the envelope between us, finally letting go of my face.

  The mention of my sister forced me into action and I reached out for the envelope. I would die before I let him lay a single finger on Phoebe. Terrified, I slipped my finger underneath the flap, my shaking hands slowing my progress, and beads of sweat dripping in my eyes made it hard to see.

  “Hurry the fuck up!”

  I flinched at the sound of his voice and dropped the envelope. After I picked it up off the carpet, I managed to pull out a stack of photos. I could feel the color draining from my face as I flipped through each of them.

  When I got to the last photo, I looked up at Torch. “What do you want from me?” I rasped.

  His smile was the most evil one I’d ever seen, and I knew deep in my soul that I needed to agree to whatever he asked of me if I wanted to make it out of this alive.

  6

  Colt

  When Viking told us he was going to offer Ember the opportunity to stay with us while Ice was locked up, my first inclination was to tell him it was a horrible idea, but it wouldn’t do any good. Viking had a soft spot for the girl, always had. He and Joker had been great friends, so of course Viking was around a lot when she was younger. He’d always wanted a daughter and before Kate came along, Ember filled that void in his heart. Now he had two girls he would do anything for. It wasn’t just Viking with a soft spot either. In the short time Fitz had been in Reno, they’d rekindled their friendship, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the guy wanted more than that from her.