Blaze (The Protectors Series) Book #10

by Teresa Gabelman

  Everyone in the room, as well as Pam and Duncan who had just walked in, silently stared at Daniel in shock.

  Just as quickly, Daniel turned back into a normal little boy as he spotted Pam and Duncan. “Mom!” Daniel ran around Blaze to jump in Pam’s arms while Duncan grabbed the guitar before it hit the ground.

  Katrina watched as Blaze slowly rose, his face a blank mask, but his eyes swirled with turmoil.

  “Honey, why did you say that to Blaze?” Pam asked, her face giving nothing away.

  Daniel shrugged his little bony shoulder. “I don’t know,” he replied, then looked over his shoulder at Blaze. “I just know stuff, and I like him, so I want to help.”

  Pam and Duncan looked over his head at each other. Daniel spotted the exchange. “I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t be sorry. You did nothing wrong,” Duncan told him.

  Blaze finally moved and walked toward Daniel. “Your dad is right, Daniel.” He once again did a fist bump with the small boy, with what seemed to be a forced smile. “You did nothing wrong. Nothing to be sorry for.”

  Wide-eyed, Katrina watched as Blaze walked away while Pam and Duncan headed up the stairs with Daniel. Adam walked up behind her. “Okay, that was fucking crazy.” Adam stared after Pam and Duncan. “The kid is smarter than I’ll ever be.”

  “Truth,” Katrina said, then laughed at Adam’s offended look. “Hey, you said it.”

  “Whatever.” Adam grinned. “You need a ride to training?”

  “Sure.” Katrina nodded.

  “Cool, I’m going to get a quick bite to eat with Angelina, and then I’ll meet you here in about an hour,” Adam said as he walked away.

  Katrina didn’t answer. She headed up the stairs and knocked on Jax’s door. After a few minutes, Caroline opened. Katrina caught the gasp that wanted to escape her throat. Dark circles highlighted her red-rimmed eyes; she looked haggard and tired.

  “Hey, I just wanted to bring Jax’s guitar back.” Katrina handed it to her.

  “Thanks, I’ll make sure he gets it.” Caroline took the guitar and started to close the door, but Katrina stopped her.

  “Can I come in?” Katrina asked, hoping to find out what was going on. The look on Caroline’s face told her that wasn’t going to happen.

  “I can’t tell you anything, Katrina.” Caroline sighed. “I wish I could, but I can’t. Any conversation about what is going on has to be with Blaze willingly. I’m sorry.”

  Katrina nodded as the door closed. She was more confused than ever. Blaze, with no last name, was becoming someone she didn’t know at all, and what scared her was, did she really want to know him? If he could dismiss a woman suffering such as Caroline was, what kind of man did that make him?

  Chapter 19

  Beyond pissed, Samuel Drake stood staring at the burnt remains of what used to be the Iron Drakes main stronghold. He was enraged that anyone would dare do this to him, Samuel Drake.

  “Don’t see any of the shit we left.” Reggie, one of the patched members, informed him. “I think it’s all gone.”

  “You think? What fucking clued you in, dumbass? Could it be the ash and our burnt shit shattered to hell and back?” Samuel rounded on him and then backhanded him across the face. “I’m surrounded by fucking idiots.”

  “No, I mean, there’s not even anything to suggest that it was here. Metal doesn’t burn. We would have found some parts of the guns we had stashed.” Reggie wiped the blood from his mouth.

  Samuel looked away from what used to be the home of the most powerful motorcycle gang in the area to focus on Reggie. “Nothing?”

  He shook his head. “Even if the police or fire department found anything, they wouldn’t have found it all. There’s nothing.”

  Looking around at the members, his nostrils flared before his eyes went back to Reggie. “So what you are telling me is not only did those VC fucks burn my house down, they stole from me?” Samuel’s eyes narrowed as he grabbed Reggie by the throat. “Is that what you’re fucking telling me?”

  “Yes,” Reggie garbled, his eyes widening.

  Samuel tossed Reggie to the side, his eyes searching out Breaker. “Is that your assumption also?”

  “Yeah, Reggie’s right. If it were here, we would’ve found some evidence of it.” Breaker growled. “And only one person knew exactly where that stash was other than us. Kat must have shown them where to look.”

  Turning once again to stare at the destruction, his eyes caught something. Stepping over ash and blackened timber, he walked to a pole that was still standing. It was paper, untouched by fire and stuck to the pole with a knife. Samuel reached out and pulled it free, leaving the knife.

  See you soon! was written on the paper signed by the Warriors.

  Samuel Drake wadded the paper up and threw it as far as he could. His eyes were black as night with rage. “I want them dead. I want their mates dead. I want their families dead. I want their fucking pets dead, and I don’t give a fuck if it’s a goddamn goldfish. I want them all dead. I don’t care how you do it as long as it’s painful, but, and you better listen good, motherfuckers, I want that bastard who started this fire and Kat alive.”

  Samuel glared at each member, patched and unpatched, to make sure they understood his orders. “Is that understood?” Samuel shouted. “Because if you fuck up, it will be your life. Nobody steals from the Iron Drakes and nobody sets fire to my fucking house!”

  Each member raised one arm with their fists pointed toward the sky. The yells coming from them would have scared anyone with any sense. The cries of rage and screams of revenge continued as fists pumped toward the sky.

  In the midst of it all, Breaker walked to Samuel. “You promised her to me.”

  “You get her, she’s yours.” Samuel’s eyes still flamed with rage. “As long as you make her suffer for what she did to us.”

  “I think you know me well enough not to have to worry about that.” Breaker’s grin held absolutely no humor, only expectation of what was to come.

  Samuel did know that, and if he were a better man, he would be worried for his only daughter. She had broken the cardinal rule, just like her mother. A snitch is a snitch and always ends up in a ditch. That would be the easy way out, but unfortunately for Kat, Breaker wasn’t known for his forgiving ways, and he had been on a hate bender since seeing her with that Warrior.

  Samuel watched Breaker walk away, past the chanting members to his bike. It had begun. And soon the VC would regret ever hearing the name Iron Drakes.

  ******

  Katrina felt unusually nervous. She started her job in about an hour and hadn’t seen Blaze since yesterday in the game room. He didn’t show up for training. Jax, Duncan, and Sloan had led the class. She had even gone to his room to return the money and maybe try to talk to him about Caroline, but he hadn’t been there.

  She definitely had shadows following her through last night and today though. Anytime she was out and about from her room, she was questioned about her leaving the compound and ordered repeatedly not to leave without someone with her.

  Sitting on the edge of her bed, she glanced down at herself and hoped she looked okay. Tessa had told her to just dress normal, and well, this was about as normal as she could get with what she had.

  Feeling confined, she stood and hurried out the door. She needed to get some fresh air before she went crazy. Heading away from the front of the compound, she walked out the back door near Slade’s office. It was cold and a few snowflakes flittered about. She loved snow, always had. Christmas had always been her mother’s favorite holiday and she had done her best to make it special for Katrina. Her brother, Craig, never wanted anything to do with them. She frowned. Just thinking her brother’s name made her nauseous, angry and a little bit sad.

  Not really paying attention, she walked along the building, catching snowflakes with her tongue and grinning like an idiot, trying to forget her past. It had been so long since she did something for the pure joy of it. Hearing a noise, she
glanced over with her head held back and tongue sticking out to see Blaze staring at her from over the popped hood of Adam’s car.

  Slowly, she put her tongue back in her mouth and lowered her head before glancing away. Okay, that was embarrassing. She peeked his way once again and noticed how sexy he looked watching her over the open hood, his arm resting on it.

  His face disappeared for a second, and then he was moving around the car and heading toward her. Grease streaked his arms. His large hands were also covered in grease, and damn, she had never been more turned on in her life. Holy hell, what was wrong with her? Maybe it was the black muscle shirt that stretched across his massive chest or the way his faded jeans hung low on his hips that had her wanting to take her clothes off and say screw it, screw me.

  She shivered as he stopped in front of her.

  “You need a coat. It’s cold.” Blaze’s voice was low and deep.

  She shivered again. “I’m okay.” She looked up at him. “We’re vampires, right? Cold doesn’t bother us.”

  “Me no, you yes,” Blaze responded before turning around quickly and going to the car. After reaching inside, he returned with his leather jacket and wrapped her in its warmth.

  “Thank you.” Katrina snuggled in the coat that was more like a leather dress on her.

  He reached out to pinch a snowflake from her hair. “You’re welcome.”

  “Hey, Blaze.” Adam peeked over the hood. “Oh, hey, Katrina. Good luck tonight.”

  “Thanks.” Katrina waved with a smile before looking up at Blaze. “Well, I’ll let you go. I know you’re busy.”

  Blaze frowned, then cursed under his breath, which she heard plainly. “Katrina, I’m never too busy for you.”

  Tears pressed hard against her eyes as the confusion once again clouded her mind. Not wanting him to see her tears fall, she quickly looked down. A red drop hit the ground, spreading red against the light white snow that had fallen earlier. It still shocked her that she cried blood.

  “Hey.” He bent to look at her face. “Look at me.”

  She couldn’t bring herself to do it. Instead, she continued to stare at the ground that was starting to look like a crime scene.

  “Katrina, look at me,” he ordered. “I can’t touch you with this grease on my hands.”

  Finally she found the courage to look up, wiping any trace of her tears away.

  “Why are you crying?” Concern replaced the demand that had colored his voice just seconds before.

  Katrina half laughed, half cried. “Because you confuse me.”

  The sadness she saw flash in his eyes for a brief second told her he was suffering from something in his past also, just like her, and maybe he couldn’t help who he was, just like she couldn’t help who she was.

  “I’m sure I confuse you too.” She gave him a sad smile, breaking the silence for him. Taking off his jacket, she handed it to him. “Thanks, Blaze. Maybe one day we can get our shit together.”

  He took the jacket, still staring at her before they both started to laugh.

  “I think we are the ones with our shit together. It’s everyone else who’s fucked.” Blaze gave her a grin. “Listen, Katrina—”

  “No.” Katrina shook her head. “Let’s leave this on a good note, okay?”

  Again, Blaze said nothing but watched her with those eyes that she knew could see right through her. Before she said to hell with it and jumped in his arms, she turned and walked away, letting the tears fall again. She refused to lift her hand to wipe them away until she was sure he couldn’t see her. She was done being weak. This was her new beginning, with or without a happily ever after with her knight in shining armor—or in her case, a knight in a black leather jacket riding a Harley.

  Chapter 20

  Blaze watched Katrina until she walked back inside the compound. Glancing down, he stared at the blood from her tears spreading into the snow. No one had ever shed a tear for him, even when he was human. His life was rough then and it was rough now, but he had never expected tears from anyone, yet there was Katrina shedding not just tears, but blood over him.

  Finally pulling his eyes from her blood, he turned and headed toward Adam. “Sorry,” he mumbled, glancing under the hood at what Adam was doing.

  “That’s okay, man.” Adam stood up straight and wiped his hands on a towel. “Let’s give it a try.”

  Blaze stayed where he was as Adam went to start the car. It roared to life. Tweaking a few things, Blaze nodded as Adam came back around. “I think you got it.”

  “Hell yeah!” Adam grabbed tools and the towel before slamming the hood shut. “Thanks, I couldn’t have done that without you. Where’d you learn to work on cars?”

  “Don’t really know,” Blaze replied, not accustomed to giving any of his past away. “Just always liked fucking with them.”

  “Well, I’m glad ’cause I was stumped.” Adam grinned, then looked behind him toward the compound. “She okay?”

  “Yeah,” Blaze answered, hoping that was all Adam was going to ask because more than hating talking about his past, he didn’t like to talk about his relationship with Katrina. If he could even call it that. If fucking was a relationship, then he guessed they were in one.

  “Good.” Adam gave him a friendly nudge. “The girl has had it rough. You’re a good man taking her under your wing.”

  Okay, that took him aback. What the fuck was Adam talking about? “Taking her under my wing?”

  “Yeah.” Adam walked around and shut off the car, then started it again and grinned when it immediately came to life. “I mean, you guys are a couple now and you’re taking care of her.”

  “Whoa, what? We aren’t a couple,” Blaze said. Are we? “I mean, I watch out for her, but I’d watch out for any of my trainees if needed.”

  “Not like that, unless you’re gay.” Adam snorted, slamming the car door shut.

  “Watch yourself, son,” Blaze warned him with a narrowed stare.

  “Come on, Blaze.” Adam leaned against the car. “I may be a little younger than you, but I’m not blind and neither is anyone else.”

  Blaze continued to glare, but that didn’t faze Adam.

  “Okay, so let’s say I didn’t have Angelina.” Adam glanced around to make sure they were alone. “I’d be all over Katrina. Let me tell you, I could just picture her bent over with me slamming into that sweet ass. Getting hard just—”

  Not even realizing it, Blaze had Adam slammed on the ground with his hand on his throat, knee on his chest and all he could see through the red haze that colored his vision was Adam’s grin as he choked, which brought Blaze back to reality. He abruptly let Adam go. “Fuck!”

  “Damn, you’ve got it bad.” Adam jumped up, rubbing his throat. “Hey, man. I love my girl and have no feelings at all for Katrina. Just trying to prove to you that you do.”

  “You’re an asshole,” Blaze seethed, cracking his neck back and forth.

  “True, but she needs you and I think you need her.” Adam grabbed up all his stuff. “And, even though it freaked me the fuck out and I’m sure it did you also, little Daniel is right. You need to talk to Caroline.”

  “What makes you think any of this is your fucking business?” Blaze stopped Adam before he could say any more.

  “It’s not.” Adam stood with his arms full, totally defenseless if Blaze decided to strike again. “But I know you’re a better man than to let a woman suffer when you can do something about it. Fuck your past, Blaze. I know all the Warriors here other than me, Steve, and Jill know what’s up with you, and honestly, I don’t give two fucks as long as you got my back now, in the present.”

  Blaze didn’t know whether he wanted to kill Adam or shake his hand. The kid had balls talking to him like that, and he respected the hell out of him. Then he thought of something and frowned.

  “You reading me?” His voice turned deadly. If the fucking kid was reading him, Adam would die an ugly death. Fuck the handshake.

  “Don’t have to. Go t
alk to Caroline, Blaze,” Adam said as he turned to leave. “We’ve all got a past, man. Deal with it and move the fuck on. You deserve that and so does Katrina.”

  “You’re lucky I don’t kick your ass, kid,” Blaze called out after him.

  “You’re welcome.” Adam chuckled as he disappeared inside. “Oh, and by the way”—his voice carried outside—“did you know yesterday was her birthday? Yeah, the big twenty-one. Thought you’d like to know and yes, before you ask, I did read her.”

  Blaze stood alone glancing up at the sky just like Katrina had done earlier. If he wasn’t careful, he’d be fucking sticking his damn tongue out catching snowflakes. “Jesus.”

  He grabbed his jacket and put it on. “Fuck!” he cursed when her scent wrapped around him, giving him an instant hard-on. Knowing he should take care of that before going to take care of other business, Blaze headed for his room, his cock hard as a rock from just her scent. Yeah, he knew exactly what he was giving her for her birthday.

  ******

  Katrina was truly enjoying working at the Sand Trap. Everyone was nice. No one tried to grab her for a feel or cuss her out because she was too slow bringing their beer. She’d never worked in a bar before, but she’d served enough of the Iron Drakes and their friends that she was pretty much a pro. It had always been the women’s “duty” in the club to take care of the men; she had been no different even as the president’s daughter. Her mother made sure that nothing got too far out of hand, so she had been luckier than most of the girls.

  Tessa was awesome and everyone loved her. Bobby took some getting used to, but he was okay. He obviously didn’t like Jared and the feeling seemed mutual, but they got along for Tessa’s sake, or so it seemed.

  After wiping some tables, she walked over to where Jared was sitting and sat next to him. She hated to admit it, but her feet hurt.

  “How you doing, little red?” Jared grinned at her over his phone.

  “Good, other than my feet.” She glanced over to see Tessa busy as ever and felt like a slacker. “Does she ever quit?”