Shadowing Me (Breakneck Series #3)

by Crystal Spears

  No one questions his decision to let her stay here. Why would we? He’s the Prez. This is our club, but it is his club.

  “Patch up, because my gut tells me we’ve had way too easy of a ride lately. Meetin’ adjourned.” The gavel smacks down hard against the wooden plank.

  I hate how his last line replays over and over again in my head. More drama, more shit. Sometimes I wonder if this life is worth all of the crap we have to do so we can wear this fucking patch.

  ***

  When I get to Euphoria, I stand along the wall and case my surroundings, looking at Alec’s every move. This isn’t outside of my normal behavior. He calls it paranoia, but really, it’s me paying attention. Everyone should pay fucking attention. If they did, half the shit that happens to them, wouldn’t.

  My head stays in one spot, and behind my shades, my eyes follow the people that I need to watch. They have no idea they’re under surveillance. The color of my eyes isn’t the only reason I wear dark glasses day and night. My friend’s movements seem more off than usual, and tell me he is hiding something. That peaks my interest a whole lot. This, I remind myself, is why the Prez let me trade up and join the Master Charter, instead of going nomad. I’m proud to know the art of stalking, and I do very well at it.

  Alec watches me more than normal, too. He keeps peeking over his shoulder to see if I’m where I was when he last looked, but he doesn’t know I’m watching him as he does this. My back tenses when I get a sudden feeling of betrayal racing through my instincts.

  What in the fuck did this fucker do? Does he know what we are planning to do?

  All of this factors into how I handle telling him he has a meeting with my Prez tomorrow afternoon. I decide it’s time I make my rounds, find someone to fuck and hurt, and satisfy that craving before I blow him away with my sudden news. I can’t text my Prez to let him know something is off because I never take my phone out here. If I did, Alec would suspect me more. I do as the Prez says and just be myself.

  I hunt down a little masochist with short brown hair that I’ve fucked in the past. It’ll be quick and to the point, without any of the usual spiel. When I seek her out, she is chatting with one of her friends, waiting to see if I choose her.

  I bend down and murmur in her ear. “Feather.” I fucking hate that scene name, yet I respect her enough to use the weird fucker.

  “Tavis,” she answers in greeting.

  “Come,” I order.

  I don’t give her an option. She has never denied me, and if she wanted to, she would not have greeted me back. Great thing about repeaters, no pleasantries are needed.

  Once my room door shuts behind us, she strips. God, I fucking love when I use repeaters I actually enjoy being with. They already know what’s up, and I can get straight to the fucking and the pain.

  “Color,” I ask. This will be the only question since we know each other’s scene limits. If she wants to inform me of something that has changed, she will, or she can safe word.

  “Red as always,” she responds as the dress slides off her curvy body. This is what I enjoy most about fucking Feather. She has curves, eats well, exercises, and watches over herself. She is one example of a perfect scene mate.

  “And…”

  Her lips tilt up and her Monroe piercing smiles at me. “I’m ready.”

  I toss my shades off, hang up my cut, and strip down before digging a condom out of my dresser and slipping it on. I don’t like messing with them when I’m heated, and I don’t like wasting time. I never pass up a quick scene with a repeater. It’s too damn simple to please my demons.

  I get my single tail out, and because I never use the same cracker, I attach a new one. I don’t use it often, but it is not safe to use the same one on different scene mates because of the exchange of bodily fluids. When I crack it, the sound echoes the room and sings to me. The whoosh makes my balls tingle with the anticipation of splitting open her skin. Feather enjoys the pain. Hell, she begs for more. I only crack her on the back in one area, and never so hard that the lacerations won’t easily heal.

  “Your demons can come play whenever you’re ready, Tavis,” she purrs as she turns around and latches her hands into the braided rope hanging from the hooks in the ceiling.

  “I’ll strike you seven times, and no more,” I growl.

  Once I’m confident she is comfortable enough to let me strike her, I flick my single tail a few times to warm up my wrist. Feather’s shoulder blades tense and loosen with each sound of the cracker. I line my eyesight up with the area we have agreed upon. I crack one more time, and then my wrists snaps, letting the leather whish through the air before the cracker swipes her skin. The sound of it slicing at her back makes my cock twitch and harden a little more. I flick again, and this time the skin tears enough to let out a trickle of blood. Her whimpers are of pleasurable pain, a sound I have come to love from her. By the time I’m on number six, blood trickles from all strikes and Feather now moans uncontrollably. The seventh one hits the hardest, and the sound of splitting skin is my undoing. I drop the whip to the floor and stalk towards Feather and as I wrap one arm around her body, I yank her towards me. Her back presses against my front as I put pressure against her wounds. With my free hand, I adjust the condom on my hard cock, and confident of its placing, I slip into her from behind and grip her tighter.

  She cries out in pain, not pleasure, when her back scrubs against my front as I thrust into her repeatedly. My movements are strong and fierce, and the walls of her pussy clamp down and squeeze my cock.

  When her hands release the ropes and her arms drop, I know my time with her is almost up and my release has to happen right now. I wet my thumb before I bring it to her ass and jam in it with enough force to make her bleed. Both holes being brutality pounded and her screams are all I need to free myself. I roar loudly as my cum spurts into the rubber.

  I talk her down until she is comfortable enough for me to let go of her long enough to slip off my condom and get what I need to tend to her.

  When the condom is tied, I drop it to the floor so that I can dispose of it later. I walk to the dresser, open my aftercare drawer, and grab the balm I will use on her wounds. I crave causing pain for sexual pleasure, but I always pay extra attention to the ones I harm, too.

  “You want balm and wrap, Feather?”

  She whimpers for both, so I grab some cloth before I walk back over to her. I lift her into my arms and carry her over to my bed and lay her flat on her stomach. I open the salve and dip my fingers into the palm and apply it to her skin. I do this until all seven lacerations are covered in cream. I then unroll the cloth and have her sit up straight. The ointment already doing its job of numbing her. Once the wrap completely covers her back, I help her slip back into her dress and kiss her on the forehead.

  “Am I still needed?” I ask as I get dressed.

  “As always, you’ve hurt me, fucked me, and then took great care in fixing me right up.” Feather grins at me as she answers.

  I nod as she lets herself out of my room.

  Once I clean everything, I lock my room and head towards Alec to deliver the blowing message that will make him see red. I locate him near the bar, and so no one can pick up on anything, I keep my back to the room. The conversation will be tense enough, and I’m afraid if he angers me, others would read it in my black eyes. I should have worn my fucking blue contacts. This is why I should always wear them, or at least keep them on me.

  “Alec,” I greet as nicely as I can. “My Prez wants a meetin’ with ya the day after tomorrow.”

  “Is that so?” He sets his glass down and turns to give me his full attention.

  “It is. The day after tomorrow, two o’clock at Club Sated.” I roll my eyes.

  He says nothing for a few seconds, and my patience with him begins to thin. It doesn’t help that he has been letting certain things go when it comes to this club.

  “I’ll be there,” he hisses as he picks up his glass.

  That was t
oo easy, and now I can’t imagine what the fuck he has up his sleeve. I wonder what in the hell he might have heard, because he took that way too easily.

  I head outside to my lady, throttle her on, and head to the club.

  ***

  Back at the compound, I look for my Prez to let him in on the information about Alec. I find him playing a game of pool with Akela, Winter, and Sniper.

  She sure looks like she’s comfortable here.

  “It’s a little strange, isn’t it?” Pyro says as he walks up to stand next to me.

  Not to me, but I could see why he would say so.

  The Prez spots me, hands his pool stick off to Winter, and strides towards me.

  “And…”

  I cross my arms, peer behind him, and notice we have the attention on us, so I say what I have to as quietly as possible without leading us away.

  “It went how we expected, and I spot grey.”

  He scowls when I say grey. Grey means shady in our world. He isn’t happy, and he shouldn’t be. Who knows what the fuck is going to happen because of this shit.

  “Thanks, brother.”

  I nod as he turns and walks back over to his game.

  “Well, ain’t that shit. I was hoping she’d get to leave here unscathed,” Pyro hisses under his breath.

  I know his comment is about Akela. She has been damaged enough by the news delivered to her when she arrived. Everything seems to go awry when new women appear. It is like their beauty beckons hell to rain down on us.

  “I know,” I respond.

  But once the Prez says something, he sticks to it. He’s already told her she could stay, and he isn’t about to revoke that. I think it’s more for Pyro’s benefit than Akela’s.

  “Here we fuckin’ go again,” he growls more so under his breath than out loud.

  I close my eyes as exhaustion takes over. “I’m hittin’ the sack, brother.”

  He smacks me on the shoulder as I make my way towards the live-in.

  ***

  Chapter Thirteen

  Tatiana

  I can’t even go to the gas station by myself. It seems like every other month, I’m on lockdown or require an escort to leave the compound.

  Even though I have my room in the live-in building, I still miss the feel of my own bedroom and childhood belongings that are in my dad’s house off the compound. I honestly can’t remember the last time I was actually there longer than an hour to pick up something. Grandma goes a few times a week to dust, sweep, and mop, and I constantly tell her it’s a waste of her time to do those things. We’re never there anyways. Her response is always the same. Every child needs a place to call home, and that home should always be welcoming.

  I gave up on trying telling her what to do a long time ago. It is no use. She does what she wants, when she wants, and how she wants. She is the epitome of old-fashioned when it comes to family and homes.

  Now that Akela is at the compound, things seem off. I can’t explain it, but it is like everyone is on pins and needles every second of the day. Add in the stress of the upcoming Euphoria takeover, and it fuels an already lit fire.

  I don’t mind her being here for one reason only.

  In her own way, she is helping my Uncle Pyro heal by sharing stories of Lana’s childhood and reminding him that Lana had truly loved him. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have felt the need to write her sister all about Pyro right before her passing.

  To top all of that off, the two jokesters in the family, acting a little strange towards one another, makes it even weirder around the compound. I don’t know what Uncle Sniper and Piper’s problem is, but someone needs to smack them. They almost remind me of Shadow and me. The attraction is there, visible for everyone to see, but neither one will move on it.

  Well, okay, it is half of what Shadow and I act like. I know I want him, and I would act on it in a heartbeat. He is the one that is scared of moving towards me in any way that isn’t friendship. It irritates me to no end, because even though I have told him we’re fine again, deep down, we really aren’t. I find myself wanting to talk to him a lot less than I used to. I still watch him, but not as closely as I used to. It all seems to be pointless to me. A girl can only daydream about a guy for so long before she decides to move on, and my wanting to do that grows stronger and stronger every day.

  “Earth to Tatiana, do you want me to get out and pump the gas for you, darlin’?”

  I scowl at Smokey before I open my car door. I hate when he escorts me places. He used to say nothing, but now he talks all the time, and no one can seem to shut him the hell up. I miss the quiet, mysterious side of him. This part of him always manages to piss me off. I slam my car door shut because I want him to know I’m angry he’s my babysitter again. I have asked Godfather to give me someone else. Hell, I would even take dealing with my attraction to Shadow and have him escort me around instead of Smokey.

  “Tatiana?”

  I groan out loud at the sound of that voice. I turn towards him. Haden. My first love and the first guy to break my heart is right there getting gas on the other side of the pump. My luck, but why isn’t he off at school?

  “Haden? Hey, why aren’t you at college right now?”

  I don’t bother with niceties. He lost that right when he cheated on me. He looks like hell, now that I look more closely at him. What the hell happened to him?

  “Ugh, about that… I had to take a semester off. My mom passed away.”

  Shit. You and your fucking mouth, Tatiana.

  “I’m sorry for your loss. Really, Haden, I’m truly sorry. Your mom was a great woman.”

  I wonder how I missed that in the obituaries. All of a sudden, I’m angry at myself because I had a great relationship with his mother when Haden and I were together.

  He nods. “She was. Cancer is a bitch.”

  I agree, but she was perfectly healthy half a year ago. Haden must sense my confusion because he answers me like he’s in my head.

  “They found it too late.” He sighs sadly.

  This might seem trivial to ask him after he told me the news about his mom, but I need to know because this was a part of his life. He lived for this. “What about football?”

  The look that comes over him breaks my damn heart in half.

  “I had to give it up. Dad can’t handle everything by himself. I can try out again when I go back, but I lost my full ride.”

  “That sucks, Haden. I feel like I need to keep apologizing.” I stick my credit card into the pump and insert the nozzle into my car.

  Haden pulls his cellphone out of his pocket then looks back at me. “Want to go and get some breakfast at Ma and Pop’s, to catch up, for old time’s sake?”

  His question stuns me. We didn’t end things on good terms, and here we both are being civil adults. My dad would be proud of how I am acting right now. I’ll have to tell him I was around Haden without throwing a bitch fit later. “Sure, but the club is on lockdown again so I have an escort.” I jam my thumb behind me, gesturing towards a bored Smokey. “I’ll make him sit at a different table.” I laugh.

  “I’ve missed that laugh, Tatiana. It was always such a carefree sound.”

  I gulp. This isn’t a Haden I recognize. He never once complimented or flattered me in any way, other than an occasional you look hot comment. My cheeks flush, and I whisper thank you. I mean, what else am I supposed to say? I used to be in love with this guy.

  “Well… meet you at Ma and Pop’s in ten?” I try to move the conversation into a different direction.

  “Yeah, ten.” He smiles.

  Shit. I have never once seen a smile like that from him either. When I finish pumping my gas, I hang up the nozzle, tear my receipt from the slot, and get in my car. I take a deep breath, buckle my seatbelt, and start the engine.

  “Was that Haden?”

  Oh dammit, Smokey! Stop talking again. You were funner to hang out with then.

  “It was,” I say aggravated as I pull out of the parking lot an
d make my way to the restaurant.

  “Hey, where are we going? We’re only supposed to be getting gas.”

  I wish I had some duct tape to shut him up!

  “We’re having breakfast with Haden, and your ass is sitting at your own table. You guys give me no damn privacy.”

  “One, I didn’t wanna sit with your grumpy ass either, and two, this is gonna piss Shadow off. You know he worries about you.” Smokey scowls at me.

  What in the hell? Since when? That asshole doesn’t worry about me. He is always fending himself off me. Guys truly do not understand the female sex. I’m glad I took Piper’s advice to move on from Shadow. She was right to say I was wasting my time by going after him. I tried to argue with her about it for a few minutes, but then she said that not everyone will give in to temptation and their feelings. When she said that, it made me realize how much of my time and life I was wasting, waiting for Shadow to smart up about the two of us getting together.

  Haden’s being back home under tragic circumstances might be my saving grace from Shadow, if I start to hang out with Haden while he’s home for the semester. It would give me a distraction and something to think about other than Shadow. The day I can go without thinking of him once will be the day I know I can truly live my life without ever having something to do with him other than friendship. I hope being friends with Haden and my plan to use this time with him at home will provide me with that one day that I need.

  When we get to Ma and Pop’s, I motion for Smokey to find another table, but before I can finish my sentence, I see Shadow eating breakfast and drinking coffee like it is an everyday thing. This isn’t his routine, so what the hell is he doing here?

  “On second thought, there’s Shadow. Go sit with his ass.”

  Haden strolls in as soon as I take a seat in a window booth, far away from the guys. I want as much space between us as I can get.