Colt (Desert Sinners MC Book 2)

by Rachel Lyn Adams

  “And second?” I asked when he didn’t continue.

  “Viking thinks Torch will push hard for you to return home with them.”

  That was a very real possibility, and I wasn’t sure if Colt would still push for it as well. “Probably,” I said, the ham and cheese suddenly tasting like sand. “Bet you’re overjoyed.” I didn’t hide the bitterness in my voice and I was glad it took him by surprise.

  His jaw ticked. “Viking’s not going to allow that, regardless of what I want. You know how it works.”

  That I did, all too well. But the firmness in Colt’s voice gave me hope. “I don’t know how I’m going to say no to Torch. Everyone back home is going to expect me to follow his orders, especially since he’s in charge now.”

  “Well, Viking thinks if someone in the club here has claimed you, then Torch won’t be able to force you to go home without causing issues.”

  That was a brilliant idea. Guys in the club didn’t mess with another man’s woman, and when he claimed her, no one else got to push her around. Torch wasn’t able to put any claim on me since he was married, and his wife wore his patch. That one small detail may have saved me in this situation. If I wore someone else’s patch, Torch would have to think twice before double crossing one of his brothers out in the open. But I didn’t know any of the available men in this club that well. Fitz would have been my choice, but… I shook my head before the tears could form again like they always did when I thought of my friend.

  “That might work, but I don’t know anyone who would do that for me.” I couldn’t imagine any of the other guys volunteering to help me like that.

  “If Viking wants it to happen, it will. And, it’s not like you’ll be in an actual relationship. It’s just for show, but it might buy us some time.”

  That was a good point. And I’d pretended to be in love before, but this time, it’d be for a good cause. Like me still breathing. “Okay, so who’s the unlucky guy?” I asked, throat dry. I grabbed my water bottle.

  “Looks like it’s going to be me,” he said quickly, and with zero enthusiasm.

  I choked on my water, unable to hide my shock at this turn of events. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

  “What do you mean?” He almost looked hurt, which made me laugh.

  “You fucking hate me—and for no reason, I might add. Why the hell would you agree to something like that?”

  “First off, I don’t hate you—”

  “Yeah, right,” I retorted, not letting him off the hook. “I’m sure you calling me a whore the first night you see me after seven years meant you liked me.”

  He leveled me with a harsh glare. “You appeared to be fucking a married man without any regard for how it made you look. What would you call someone like that? And I didn’t know any of this, remember?”

  It was a fair point, but it still sucked. I remembered how ashamed and hurt I’d felt when he’d said that. “Fitz knew,” I said quietly. “He’d known right from the start something was off.” I felt my eyes water but refused to cry in front of Colt.

  “Yeah…” He took a deep breath and let it out. “Look, I didn’t have all the information at the time. Things have changed since then.”

  That was probably the closest I would ever get to an apology from Colt, so I let it go.

  “What else?” I asked since he was still here.

  “The truth is, I would do anything for this club. If I have to pretend to be in a relationship, then that’s what I’ll do. Even if it’s with you.”

  Ouch! He couldn’t seem to help himself from throwing out little jabs.

  He was right about one thing, though. Loyalty to the club was a reason I could understand. It made sense why Colt would agree since I wouldn’t feel comfortable with any of the other officers. But, I still wondered if we could pull it off and not want to strangle each other throughout this ordeal. Now that Colt knew the truth, maybe he wouldn’t be as hostile toward me, but I wasn’t going to hold my breath.

  “Okay,” I relented, leaving my food and water on the island. I didn’t pretend to be any more excited about this situation than Colt was. “Hopefully we can get some answers quickly, and then we won’t have to continue this charade for too long. For both our sakes.”

  With a distant look on his face, Colt responded, “Yeah, hopefully it will be over soon.”

  I left, needing time to digest this turn of events. I was getting whiplash from it all, which didn’t help my headache. I didn’t look back as I walked away. I didn’t need to see his contempt for me despite him knowing the truth. This would be a sacrifice for me too, even though he’d refuse to see it that way. And at this point, I didn’t give a fuck about him or his issues.

  16

  Colt

  I woke up early the next morning, needing to speak with Ember so we could set our plan in motion before Torch arrived. They would be riding in on Friday which didn’t give us much time. I was surprised she agreed to pretend to be in a relationship with me without much of an argument. But I was glad. I didn’t want to have to spend time trying to convince her when I wasn’t completely sold on the idea myself.

  But last night, I’d witnessed a little bit of the spark I remembered. She had been through a lot and I wasn’t giving her credit for that. It hadn’t been easy for her, living under a threat and in complete fear of her life and those she loved. In fact, it was admirable, the kind of thing you’d expect your woman to do—protect her family, to put them above herself. Maybe if Ember had told us about the trouble she was in earlier, things would have been different.

  Despite the details of all she endured, I still didn’t want to do this. For a number of reasons. One, Fitz’s death; and two, the very idea of being in a relationship, even if fake, was going to mess with my head on a whole new level.

  I grabbed the patch off the chair and walked down the hallway to the room she was staying in. Most of the doors to the rooms between hers and mine were closed, and it was eerily silent. Only a few of the guys lived here full time, but given recent events, a few more opted to stay.

  The last time our club lost a member was when Falcon, Wolf’s and Hawk’s father, and his wife died. But their death was the result of a motorcycle accident, not because someone was targeting us. Now we were on edge, wondering when the next strike would come.

  I could hear someone rustling around in Ember’s room, so I walked in without knocking.

  “Shit,” she screeched as she grabbed the towel off her bed to cover herself, but she wasn’t fast enough. I couldn’t help but drink her in. Her skin was still a tad red from the hot water. Her red hair was hanging down far past her shoulders, and she had water droplets running down her neck onto the top of her shapely tits.

  The desire to lick every single one of them off of her creamy pale skin came out of nowhere. What the fuck was that? Thinking of Ember in that way would get me in trouble and make me lose focus on what was important.

  “What the hell are you doing?” she yelled, bringing my attention back to her face instead of her tempting body. “Get out!”

  “Nothing I haven’t seen before, babe.”

  “Not in seven years.”

  Her snippy retort was the first time either of us acknowledged our past with the other.

  “I’d almost forgotten about that night.”

  That was the furthest thing from the truth and more proof that I was the biggest asshole who ever lived.

  Instead of giving me more attitude, she looked down in embarrassment. I didn’t know why I continued to act like a jerk toward her. If I was honest with myself, I would admit how much I regretted walking away from her years ago. But now, it seemed I couldn’t help myself, and I was always saying shit to purposely upset her. I wondered if I was trying to protect her from me or if I was protecting myself from wanting something I shouldn’t.

  “Anyway, you’re going to need this.” I laid the property patch on her bed.

  She reached out with one hand to run her fingers acro
ss the leather while gripping her towel with her other hand. But she stopped herself before looking over at me for permission. Her reverent attitude resonated with me in ways I hadn’t felt for a long time. I nodded, and her touch reminded me that she understood the significance of the garment. Under different circumstances, I knew without a doubt that she would be the type of woman deserving to wear it.

  “Wow, that was quick. How did you get your hands on one so fast?”

  That was a question I didn’t want to answer. She didn’t need to know anything about me or my past and apparently had no clue I’d been married. “Don’t worry about it.”

  When I looked back up at her face, her mouth was open in question, but then she shook her head like she changed her mind.

  “What is it?” I prompted, curious.

  “Thanks for doing this,” she said, unhappily, no tone or emotion to her voice or expression. “I know you don’t want to, but I appreciate it anyway.”

  I knew I was getting a taste of my own medicine, so I didn’t contemplate the sting I felt too closely. I shrugged. “Sure thing,” I said, but she’d already gone back to the bathroom. The only response was the sound of the door clicking shut.

  The week flew by and Torch, Stone, the acting VP, as well as the officers and several other members from Reno had just shown up. Viking had called Ember down so she could greet them. We both knew it was going to be a shit show the minute they saw her, but she was moving forward with our plan. She straightened her spine as she walked toward the group, and I could see the determination glittering in her eyes. She was as committed to solving this mystery as we were.

  “What the fuck are you wearing?” Torch shouted the minute she came into view.

  He stomped over to her, and I jumped between them, gently pushing Ember behind me. Sure, I had a role to play, but even if I didn’t, I wasn’t going to let Torch get near her. Not after everything she told us. It was a wonder any of the officers hadn’t lost their shit the moment he walked in here, knowing what he’d done to her. To all of us.

  “You’ve got to be kidding me.” Torch looked like a caged animal, ready to attack. “I sent you here to keep you safe, not so you could act like a whore. Did you forget you already belonged to someone?”

  I felt her trembling hands reach out and grab the back of my cut. I felt a small burst of pride that she reached out to me for comfort when she was scared.

  It also didn’t escape my attention that he didn’t falter when he said he sent her here to keep her safe. Even when he was raging, he managed to not let anything slip. He may have been smarter than I gave him credit for.

  “Everyone needs to calm the fuck down. You will not come into my clubhouse and treat a woman like that,” Viking said, and we all took a step back from each other.

  I didn’t let Ember get far, though. Instead, I wrapped my arm around her and pulled her to me. She huddled into my side but wrapped her arms around her middle, shaking. Fitz had been right and I’d been too blind to notice: She was terrified of Torch. He glared at the two of us while his nostrils flared like a bull ready to charge.

  “If it’s okay with Colt—Ember, mind explaining?” Stone asked while trying to maintain some calm while his acting president freaked out. “This development is clearly a shock, especially to Torch.”

  She looked up at me before she spoke, and I nodded for her to answer. “Um… it just sorta happened. I knew Colt from when we were younger. Since I’ve been here, we got to talking, and things just went from there,” she explained, coming up with a pretty good cover story on the fly. Maybe the two of us should have come up with something earlier.

  “You mean you acted like a slut and spread your legs for the first guy that came around the minute I left you alone. I warned—”

  Torch didn’t get to finish his sentence before I was throwing him up against the wall. I got right in his face and spoke quietly so only he would hear me. “You better watch what you fucking say. Do you understand me, motherfucker?” I growled while tightening my hand on his throat. “Ember’s my old lady now, and don’t ever forget that.”

  “Get the hell off me!” he gritted out between clenched teeth.

  “Colt, let him go,” Ember spoke softly as she placed her hand on my shoulder, and for some odd reason, that calmed me. I released the jerk and took a couple of steps back, keeping Ember close to me.

  I turned to Stone and addressed him. “You need to get him under control. If he doesn’t start showing some respect, we’ll throw him out of here. Don’t give a shit if he’s a Desert Sinner or not. This is our fucking house.”

  Stone nodded his head. He didn’t look all that pleased with what had just gone down, but he and a couple of their guys directed Torch outside before the situation got any more volatile.

  “Just wait until your brother hears about this!” Torch yelled as he walked out.

  “He can’t tell James anything, it’ll drive him crazy that he doesn’t know what’s going on,” Ember said, but I wasn’t sure if she was talking to herself or me.

  Ice hearing about me claiming his sister was the least of her problems. I wondered how Ice was going to feel when he found out everything she sacrificed for him and their sister. I’m sure he would be grateful, but more than that, he would feel guilty as well as angry that she had gone to such lengths to protect him. In his mind, it was his job to protect her, not the other way around.

  “Okay, boys, let’s go talk. Torch can meet with us once he’s cooled off. The ladies here are going to make dinner. Hopefully, we can enjoy a simple meal together without anyone coming to blows,” Viking said, directing his glare at me.

  His words were laced in warning even though he didn’t need to issue one. I wasn’t going to fuck this up. I didn’t say anything to Torch other than he needed to watch how he talked to Ember. I figured that reaction was acceptable given I was supposed to be with her now. No Desert Sinner would tolerate someone speaking to their woman like that.

  We moved into the room where we met for church. The long table provided more than enough room for all of us. For the time being, we decided to leave Fitz’s seat empty. While it pained me to look at the chair he’d occupied for years, it also gave me the strength to continue on the path we were on. He would want us to protect Ember at all costs.

  I was doing this all to find out what happened to Fitz, if Torch was behind it and what his endgame was. I wouldn’t rest until I knew everything and we’d dealt with the person responsible for his death. I prayed it wasn’t Torch. Not because I wasn’t willing to take that asshole out, but because of the problems it would bring for Ice and the entire club.

  My worry was also for Ember, which felt sudden, but also reminded me of when we were younger. It left me confused as to why I cared so much about how all of this would impact her. I attributed these random feelings to emotions running high and being thrown off with my new role as Ember’s old man. Once all this was solved and handled, she could go back to living her life, and I wouldn’t have to deal with her anymore.

  That’s what I wanted… to return to normal. But now I didn’t know what that looked like because things had changed and it was all up in the air. I had no idea where that left Ember and me.

  My mother had left me and my dad, an old wound that never really healed. And more recently, my wife had left me, I was fighting for more time with my children, one of my best friends was gone, and then there were the feelings I was struggling with daily for the girl who had come back into my life. Everything was spiraling out of control, and I didn’t know what to do.

  However, one thing became very clear to me in an instant: Torch would never touch Ember ever again.

  We waited a while for the guys from Reno to join us. Torch was still seething and when we made eye contact, I thought he might dive across the table and have another go at me. Stone kept his hand on Torch’s shoulder and led him to an empty chair as far from me as he could get.

  “Before we get down to business, I want to say h
ow sorry I was to hear what happened to Fitz. I always liked that guy. Whatever you need, we’ll help you out,” Stone offered before taking a seat.

  “Appreciate it, man,” Viking said, assessing the Reno men closely. “We’re going to need all the help we can get if we’re going to find out who’s responsible.”

  “Do you have any leads?” Stone asked.

  While Viking and Stone talked, my eyes never left Torch. He seemed disinterested until Stone’s last question. His eyes flicked to Viking as he waited for his answer.

  “We don’t have anything solid yet, but we’re confident the Phantoms are behind it.”

  Viking was bluffing, just like we planned during our officers’ meeting last night. We still didn’t know jack-shit about what happened, but blaming the Phantoms was a logical conclusion and wouldn’t cause any suspicion on Reno’s part.

  “Couldn’t be,” Torch interjected for the first time.

  “Why’s that?” I asked.

  Not addressing me directly, Torch continued, “My intel says they’re still out of state. After their brawl with Ice, they got the hell out of dodge since the cops are looking for them. Wouldn’t make sense to come back for a messy drive-by in Vegas.”

  “Could be the perfect cover, don’t you think?” I continued, trying to push the asshole into a corner.

  “Torch is right. Since Ice is locked up, we’ve been keeping closer tabs on the Phantoms. We haven’t seen any indication they’re back in the area. You may want to consider other possibilities,” Stone suggested. He seemed like a reasonable guy, and I felt sorry he had this dick to deal with in his club. We were all hoping that only Torch was trying to screw the club over and that he hadn’t convinced anyone else to betray us. “Phantoms have their reasons, but is it possible this was a random hit? There are several gangs in Vegas, and in your area, in particular, that could be responsible.”