Out From Under

by Selene Chardou

  A door opened down the hall and Tristan and Taryn slowly emerged from the hallway into where we were, which appeared to be the living room. There was a large kitchen and dining room to the right of us. In front of us was a wrap-around cream sofa surrounding a fifty-inch wall-mounted flat screen television, Blu-ray player and a book shelf filled with different movies on both DVD and Blu-ray.

  My brain seemed to shut down while I suffered from emotional overload, as Tristan and Taryn approached and embraced me.

  “Hey, little sis, I missed you so much.”

  Tears gleamed in my eyes before they fell down my cheeks and I inhaled his manly scent. He was a simple man; Taryn had bought him a bottle of Unforgiveable by P. Diddy for his birthday and since then, he’d worn no other scent. He smelled vaguely of juniper and lemon, sandalwood and mandarin. It was a scent I’d sniffed for days after his “death” as I’d clutched a pillow stolen from his bed.

  “I missed you too.” We looked at each other before my brain cleared from the fog and I grabbed Linx’s hand. “I’m not sure if you all know, but I’m a married woman now. Linx—sorry, Lennon and I, tied the knot on Friday night.”

  There was an uncomfortable silence before my father cleared his throat. “Why don’t we all sit down, so I can tell you what is going on and you can make up your own mind about what you want to do.”

  My heart pounded in my chest. Did I have some colossal decision to make?

  I turned to my husband and his blue eyes were intense in the subdued lighting. “Let’s just find out what’s going on, all right?”

  I bit my lower lip before I nodded. Linx and I sat down on the sofa, my father sitting near us while Tristan and Taryn flanked us on the other side. I felt more trapped now than ever.

  My feelings were so conflicted at the moment. I was so relieved that my family was alive, yet I knew there was a cost that would have to be paid. Unfortunately, I didn’t know what it was and that made me feel extremely uncomfortable and on edge.

  My mother brought out her famous southern iced tea which was a mixture of Southern Comfort, Coke, Jack Daniels, and Tanqueray London Dry. It was not for the faint of heart and she only made it when a serious discussion was in order. Usually my parents didn’t allow me to drink alcohol at all but obviously they were making an exception.

  Our glasses were already poured and we only had to lean over to grab one. Linx swigged greedily. Obviously, he was more nervous than I was. I sipped from mine as I stared at Tristan and Taryn. They held hands but beneath there was a look in their eyes; they were both trapped and they knew it.

  Dad sipped from his tea as my mother put the tray, with the pitcher, on the coffee table. She sat next to my father and whispered into his ear. He nodded and stared at her for a stolen moment; his gaze finally settled on Linx and I.

  “Hinton told me about the marriage and let’s just say that your timing is not only lousy, but it complicates this whole situation, Trista.” He stood and began to pace.

  All the sudden, I felt like a teenager living under my parents’ roof again. My dad was extremely angry with me, but no matter how upset he became, he never raised his voice. The piercing glare from his sky blue eyes were enough to make me feel like a piece of dog shit and I despised how he still had that control and influence over me now that I was, officially, an adult.

  I squeezed Linx’s hand to the point where it must have been painful for him—but he said nothing in regards to what I was doing to him.

  “Mr. Lennon, with all due respect, you haven’t been around in months. She thought you were all dead for Christ’s sake! I was the one who suggested the marriage in the first place, and she agreed. Whatever you need from her, we will try to help because she only wants what is best for her family. But remember: you are speaking to my wife, and I’d appreciate it if you did so with respect, and not like she’s an errant child.”

  “I’ll start at the beginning because that makes the most sense.” He sighed before he swigged from his tea. “I was recruited right after I got out of college. It was during the first term of the Reagan Administration and they wanted to make the FBI as formidable as the CIA but purely for the United States. We were concerned with Cuban drug cartels and American gangsters here in the States; the Bloods and the Crips—it was a very turbulent time in our country.”

  “So, all this time, you’ve been an FBI agent and none of us knew?” I stood and walked over to my dad just to stop him from pacing. “You have to explain this to me because…was our move to Pine Bluff intentional?”

  My dad stood in front of me and gazed at me with tear-filled blue eyes. “Yes, it was. The biker gangs were next in line and I was sent deep undercover with my family. The Bureau bought the house and we set ourselves up as accountants. Your mother did all the work since she’s the one who has the degree in Accounting, not me.

  “For years, all I did was report to the Bureau about all the crooked thugs that came through our door. That was enough for them and most of the small time ones disappeared or went to prison. It wasn’t until Marcus Hinton showed up that I knew the government was serious. They could only use tax evasion so far, especially when the Saints kept miraculous books. None of their illegal activities could be proven by their taxes—it seemed like they made all their money from remodeling classic bikes and their tow truck services. As you know, they were used in Pine Bluff, Birch Tree and Black Oak for towing the cars of drivers without insurance and who are arrested for DUIs.”

  “So why did you choose the club that Trey belongs to?” I questioned in a soft voice. “You know what goes on and…do you want your son going to prison?”

  “No, of course not.” He turned away from me and sat down beside Mom again. “I’m the one who tipped him off. I’m not proud of what I have done and know that eventually, he will be considered a fugitive, but I spoke to Hinton and he has told me that Trey has immunity. The evidence he has provided regarding the Bastards is…more than helpful. However, the shooting of Brooklyn Decker complicates things because Nel is on the war path. You’re not safe and that is why I had Hinton pick you up at the hotel today.”

  I had a feeling where this conversation was going and it wasn’t going to happen, not now or any time in the near future.

  “No.” I strolled over and sat next to Linx. “I’m not going into Witsec. I can understand how you railroaded Tristan and Taryn into doing it, but I refuse to live my life on the run or in hiding. I’m through running, Dad. I am comfortable in L.A. and I can’t leave my husband. It’s not like Linx can just disappear. He has two children. I won’t ask that of him and you can’t either.”

  “Well, no one is asking your husband to follow you.” My mom glared at me with angry hazel-green eyes. “This isn’t negotiable, Trista. You are only eighteen years old and you have known each other less than two months. You’ve only been married a couple days. We already have the paperwork drawn up for a quickie divorce and your new identity has been secured by the Witness Protection Program. We won’t leave you to be kidnapped or murdered by those thugs and if you aren’t in Witsec, we can’t protect you either.”

  Linx slid an arm around my waist and squeezed softly. “If she does decide to go into the Witness Protection Program, will I be able to see her?”

  “No.” Tristan sighed out loud. “Everyone knows this is an act of rebellion on your part, Trista. No way can you fall in love in six weeks with anyone. It just isn’t possible. Linx knows what I am talking about and if he truly cares about you then he will let you go.”

  The claustrophobic atmosphere had finally reached dangerous levels and I began to breathe heavily. I felt like I couldn’t get enough air into my lungs no matter how many deep breaths I took. I reached into my handbag, opened the bottle of Xanax and placed a two milligram tablet in my mouth before I swallowed it down with my alcoholic beverage.

  Taryn cleared her throat. “It’s classified where we’re going—even we don’t know and the first few months will be spent outside of the country. Y
ou have to understand until the clubs are destroyed then you are in danger. They will come after you, Trista. Trey is in Northern Ireland and that leaves you as the only Lennon who is vulnerable.”

  “I’m not a child and none of you can make this decision for me. I am not leaving Linx. I wouldn’t be any good to you anyway…if your ‘deaths’ destroyed my life then I am just giving up one hell I knew of for another.” I struggled with an unruly strand of hair that fell into my face. “Don’t make me choose between my family and my husband—it isn’t fair.”

  My mother stood and walked over to kneel in front of me. “Stop acting like a child, Trista. This isn’t negotiable. You must leave here and you can’t go back to L.A. Every charter of the White Knights is gunning for you and they will do whatever it takes to make sure you end up dead, just to send a message to your brother.”

  The tears flowed from my eyes and I couldn’t stop them no matter how hard I tried. “What part of ‘I won’t leave my husband’ can’t you understand, Mom? What if your parents had told you the same thing about Dad? Would that have been an easy decision for you to make?

  “I know you all think I am just some naïve, slip of a girl who is talking out of her ass with lust but that isn’t the situation at all. I am still crippled by what I thought happened to you, but who do you think helped me through it all? Who do you think knows my deepest and darkest fears and still managed to stay by my side? Who?! Linx is the only person who has kept me from losing my shit entirely and if I left with you, I would be right in that very same place again, emotionally and psychologically speaking. Except this time it would be Linx I would mourn, not the four of you.”

  My father glared at me. “You have twenty-four hours to make up your mind. Hinton will give you an untraceable number to call. Then we are gone. We won’t be anything but ghosts and smoke. Is that what you want? To never see us again?”

  “I didn’t say that, Dad—don’t put words in my mouth—but I refuse to change my mind about Witsec. I won’t be able to do it and someone would find me out…recognize me as Linx’s wife. I am not doing this out of selfishness but selflessness. I refuse to put your lives in danger. I’ll be fine, I promise.”

  My mother handed the card to Linx and looked at him with a penetrating glare that could shatter glass. “Twenty-four hours. If you’re half the man I think you, are then you will convince your wife to do what’s best for her health and safety.”

  I stood suddenly and grabbed Linx’s hand. “I need to get out of here. I am suffering from serious claustrophobia and you still haven’t answered any of my questions like what about the meeting with Clooney and Dad? Why was Brooklyn Decker—some loser biker and former meth user, no cop in the Tri-towns area would piss on if he was suddenly set on fire—such a threat, you two thought it was the right time to rip our family to shreds by faking your deaths? It doesn’t make any sense and there’s something you aren’t telling me.”

  My father refused to look at me as he finished his southern ice tea. “Dizzy had his suspicions and that fucker son of his, Cillian, convinced his father I might be an informant. They planned to kill your mother and I by making it look like an accident. We were just too smart and did it first.”

  “But that isn’t all, is it?”

  “It never is,” Tristan murmured.

  I shook my head before my husband and I headed to the front door. As usual, my mother stopped us before we got there. She embraced me and I hugged her back with my free arm.

  “Chère, think about this really carefully. My Mémé had a saying for every occasion and in this one, she would have said, ‘le pire n'est pas derrière nous mais en avance sur nous’. Please don’t do something you’ll live to regret.”

  That was dramatic and brought this dangerous situation into more focus. My mother always knew where to hit where it would hurt my heart the most.

  The worst is not behind us but in front of us.

  Much more lyrical in French, but that didn’t make it true and I was about to call bullshit on her and her philosophical musings.

  “Yeah? There’s also another famous French saying my Mémé was fond of: ‘plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose’.”

  “Yes, you’re correct. The more things change, the more they stay the same—but are you willing to bet your life on a will-o-the-wisp prophecy in hopes that you’ll have your longed-for happy ending, my naïve daughter? Are you willing to allow this man to literally hold your future in his hands?”

  I reached for the door and opened it, surprised there weren’t any military personnel waiting for Linx and me.

  I bit my lip and studied the faces of my father, Tristan, Taryn and lastly, my beautiful mother. “He already does…and it’s a risk I’m willing to take.”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  LINX FELT SORRY for his sister and her pit-bull, Kiki, comfortably situated in the back seat of Trista’s Ford Edge. They were only an hour away from his Hollywood Hills home but as exhausted as he felt, it might as well have been a million miles away from home.

  “You heard them, Trista. Why are we driving back at all? Do you think I want anything to happen to you? It would haunt me for the rest of my life.”

  “I’m not going to leave you to play happy fucking family with them. Are you trying to get rid of me already? Jesus, we just got married, and you already want to leave me?”

  They couldn’t exactly say who they were talking about since her parents, brother, and his fiancée were still supposed to be be dead.

  “I just want what is best for you and they can protect you much better than I can.”

  She sighed out loud and ran her fingers through her thick, silky brown hair. “Listen, even if I were to decide that’s what’s ‘best for me’, what happens to us? I don’t believe in long distance relationships because they don’t fucking work. They have each other and what will I have? Nothing. I won’t have you, and I will be alone yet again. I’m not huge on the whole one night stand scenario and after everything I’ve been through, college isn’t exactly the first thing I have on my mind. I mean, do I look like I’m ready for homework?”

  “No, but I want you to be safe and I want you to be happy. The thought of losing you kills me, literally makes me want to punch something, hard. I’m not normally violent, Trista, but this, this could push me to it. I need you safe.”

  “I’m, safe and happy, Linx, right here with you. I found out something spectacular and amazing today. I have accepted they’re lost to me again but I can’t pretend like what we have between us isn’t worth fighting for and I wished to God you thought that too.”

  Linx didn’t say anything further. The disagreement between them had been going on all day and he was truly tired of fighting.

  “Listen, Loire said Kiki and I could stay with her, so can you just drop me off at her place.”

  Although a hot bed for well-to-do gay men, Loire resided in West Hollywood and he was only too happy to drop his sister off. If anything, it meant that he and Trista could speak honestly and frank.

  “I’ll be right back,”

  Trista was completely zoned out before she smiled brightly. “Take your time.”

  He walked his sister up to the second floor of Loire’s swanky condo and she answered the door in record timing.

  “What do I owe you for this?” He pulled out his wallet in anticipation.

  Loire waved her hand away. “It was a freebie and I have no intention of charging you. She’s just what a depressed woman like me needs. Plus, we get started on training tomorrow—Nil and I could use all the hands we can get. We’re always overbooked.”

  Trinity hugged him tightly. “Take care of that beautiful bride of yours. Stop trying to sacrifice your happiness for everyone else—believe me, if anyone deserves to be content, it’s you. Just remember this about Trista: she’s old enough to break hearts and young enough to not realize the path of her destruction.”

  “Listen, I better get back to the car.” Linx ended their embrace and st
epped back. “Have a good night and I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

  “I don’t know, will you?”

  He laughed as the door closed behind him. He heard the deadbolt snap in place before he ran down to the SUV.

  Linx couldn’t express the amount of relief he felt when he saw Trista sitting in the same position as he’d left her. Her parents had warned him she was in danger and what the hell did he do? He’d left her at the mercy of that very same threat the moment he stepped out of the vehicle to make sure his sister arrived at Loire’s second story condo safely.

  She was silent on the drive home and he didn’t push it. He didn’t want to see her in anymore pain and right now, she was just hanging on by a thread.

  He truly understood how she felt and God knows he didn’t want to lose her. He loved her. She was the heart that beat in his chest, the air he drew within his lungs. It was like being asked to let one’s soul die so that the person could be safe and it hurt like hell. He also knew he would never recover if he lost her. He would become a shell of himself, but he was willing to do it if it meant Trista would be free and safe.

  Once they arrived at his house, he parked in his massive garage and got out of the car. The only item he grabbed was his cell phone. Trista slung her handbag over her shoulder and walked inside the house with him.

  Linx immediately made a beeline for the kitchen, grabbed a Heineken and flipped the top off before he swallowed half the contents in a couple of swallows. He needed a drink badly and after drinking water the whole ride back from Vegas, his favorite imported lager hit the spot.

  “Can I have one too, please?”

  He turned to see Trista. She still looked beautiful, even if she’d changed into a pair of loose pajama bottoms with Victoria’s Secret written all over them, and a pale pink camisole, her ripe breasts braless and her nipples hard as pebbles.