Out of the Storm

by Avery Gale

  “Has Micah mentioned a woman named Gracie to you?” Kyle tried to keep his voice lowered so Tobi wouldn’t hear, but considering the quick look she’d given him, he knew he hadn’t been successful.

  “Yes, on several occasions as a matter of fact.” Kyle could hear the amusement in his voice and had to smile.

  “Well, she is incoming. Status unknown, but Micah cleared a path for her and she should be—” he stopped speaking just as they heard the sound of a car—or at least he assumed the high pitched whining mechanical racket coming up the drive was a car. Christ, how on earth did she make it this far in that wreck?

  Obviously Kent hadn’t kept a good hold on Tobi because she was moving across the open concrete in front of the stairway before the car had even made the turn to park in front of the club. All three men lunged for her, but Jax’s long stride and arms reached her first, and he plucked her up just as the tiny car rocked to a stop exactly where Tobi had been standing.

  Kyle and Kent both growled at her behavior and Jax laughed, “Oh, little sub, you are in it deep. Hope you can swim, sweet cheeks.” Jax turned and handed Tobi off to Kyle before returning his attention to the woman in the car.

  Kyle tightened his hold on Tobi when Jax opened the door and a battered young Latino woman fell into his arms. Kyle heard Jax’s softly muttered curses as he scooped Gracie into his arms. “Cariño. Careful. Let’s get you inside where we can check you out, okay?”

  Gracie’s eyes widened as Jax started to scoop her up into his arms. Kyle knew Jax hadn’t missed the look of panic in her eyes and he stopped moving immediately. Without ever taking his eyes off Gracie, he addressed Tobi. “Sweet cheeks, my name is Jax McDonald. I am a friend of your Masters’ and also Micah’s. Please assure Gracie that I would never hurt her.”

  Kyle felt Tobi go lax in his hold as she let out the breath she’d been holding. Both he and Kent had told her that Jax would be arriving. They had also mentioned the fact that Jax and Micah had been looking for a sub to share since deciding to retire from the teams. “Gracie, it is okay honey. I know he’s a big guy, but he’s a friend of Micah’s and…well, the men I’ve been telling you about. Please, let us get you into the club.” Kyle watched as Gracie dropped her gaze and nodded. Jax didn’t waste any time repositioning her so he could slide his arms gently around her shoulders and under her knees. He took the wide steps two at a time as he quickly made his way inside.

  ****

  Jax had felt a red hot rage boil inside chest at his first sight of Gracie Santos. The bruises on her slender neck were clearly made by someone who had been trying to choke her. He was worried about the swelling that had probably already started restricting her ability to speak and swallow since she had simply nodded rather than spoken her answer to Tobi. All Special Forces soldiers had medic training and Jax had seen a woman in Kazakhstan die after her airway swelled closed several hours after her husband tried to choke her before he’d left her along the side of the road.

  Jax hadn’t wanted to set Gracie down on the exam table when they’d reached the club’s first aid station so he’d just held her until Kyle led in a physician dressed in leathers. Obviously the man was a member of the club and had already been on-site. Jax had heard so much about Gracie from Micah that he felt as if he knew her already, but he reminded himself that didn’t mean she knew him.

  Kyle introduced him to Brian Bennett, and explained that the Dom was also a local physician specializing in the care of women. When Jax had settled her on the table and started to step back Gracie had grasped several of his fingers and held tight. He stood alongside the table and leaned over to brush a soft kiss over her scraped forehead. “Cariño? Do you want me to stay with you?” His heart soared at her quick nod, but her moan of pain at the sharp movement made his heart clench.

  The doctor smiled at him and nodded his approval before he started speaking softly to Gracie. It was obvious she wasn’t able to speak but he noticed she kept making movements with her free hand and he picked up her fingers and kissed them. “Cariño, are you signing?”

  Tobi stepped forward quickly and smiled. “Gracie works with deaf Spanish speaking children as a volunteer. She understands their difficulty reading lips when they don’t know English because her younger brother had the same problem when their family first moved to the U.S. when they were young kids.” Tobi looked up at Jax, “Do you sign? Because Gracie has tried to teach me, but I’m really miserable at it.” Jax saw the fire in Gracie’s eyes as she shook her head back and forth before wincing. Tobi giggled, “Don’t get snarky with me, my friend. You know I suck at signing.”

  Jax nodded, “As a matter of fact I do sign and for a similar reason. I learned when my sister lost her hearing after she had meningitis.” He kissed Gracie’s slender fingers again before nodding to the doctor. “Go ahead, doc. You ask and I’ll relay Gracie’s answers for you.” Just as he spoke the words Micah burst into the room. His friend took in the room in a heartbeat noting Jax’s proximity to Gracie and Jax saw the relief in his expression until his gaze settled on the deep purple bruises on her neck.

  Before anyone else could react, Tobi had placed her hand on Micah’s arm. “Micah, she is already frightened and injured. Please be careful. You are my friend and I don’t want you to make a mistake.” When he looked down at her, Jax saw the fire in Micah’s gaze immediately start to cool. Tobi was definitely going to keep the West brothers on their toes. When she seemed satisfied that Micah had calmed down, she took her small hand from his arm and turned to Gracie. “Sweetheart, you are in wonderful hands. I’m going to step outside so Dr. Brian has room to work. If you need anything please send Micah or Jax to get me.” Jax appreciated that Tobi hadn’t given Gracie a chance to stop her, she had simply turned and walked from the room.

  His first impression of the tiny blonde had been that she was reckless, but now he could see she had just been frightened for her friend. Her loyalty had just gone a long way in earning his respect and he made a note to tell her as much. First he wanted to help the doctor find out as much as he could about her friend’s injuries.

  ****

  Kent shook his head as he settled Tobi on his lap. He’d sat on a ridiculously narrow sofa in hallway outside the club’s first aid station. She had squeaked when the plug pushed in deep and he wondered how much longer they should leave it in. Deciding it was the only thing keeping him from upending her and paddling her ass he let his concern about the plug go. “Honest to God, love, I don’t know whether to beat your ass or hug you. You took off running from your Masters and called me by my first name inside the club’s main room. Then you called me a big lug as you tried to move out of my hold. But the worst of it was putting yourself in danger by stepping in front of a car that was approaching rapidly. Fuck. I don’t even want to consider what would have happened if Jax hadn’t gotten to you when he did. I swear I’ll never tease him about his damned monkey arms again.”

  Tobi’s face flushed bright red and Kent knew she was just now realizing how inappropriate her behavior had been. “Oh my God in heaven. What have I done?” Her green eyes immediately filled with tears and Kent could see the shame in them. When she tried to get off his lap he stilled her. “Please, just let me go. I’m so sorry. I’ve embarrassed you in front of your friends and club members, and I’m completely humiliated that I was so disrespectful. I was so worried about Gracie that I completely lost focus on everything else.” By the time she had finished speaking her tears were streaking down flushed cheeks, but Kent could hear the sincerity in her voice.

  “Sit still for a minute and let me get a handle of my frustration before we talk about this. I know that I have to address the behavior, but right now I’m worried about your sweet friend and I am anxious to hear Micah’s report before I make any decisions that we both might regret.” Being a Dominant was all about what was best for the submissive and in Kent’s opinion, and right at this moment, he knew his ability to make a clear decision was being clouded by his anger. A Do
m that made emotional rather than rational decisions was dangerous and Kent wasn’t going to take any chance of making that mistake.

  From the bits and pieces they had gathered about Tobi’s childhood, it had been filled with loss and abuse, but they didn’t have all the details yet. He and Kyle had talked over the ramifications of that kind of upbringing when they’d been mapping out a strategy to make Tobi their own and they’d agreed that punishments would have to be kept to a minimum until she trusted them enough to feel safe and secure. Her attempt to get off his lap and leave told him that she was already anticipating being rejected, so they were going to have to proceed carefully. On the one hand, she already knew that she’d made a huge mistake and she also knew there would be consequences. But on the other hand, she still didn’t understand that punishments wiped the slate clean. They were meant to reinforce lessons not be purely punitive. He knew it would take time for Tobi to understand they not only wanted her, but they liked and respected her as well.

  For several seconds Kent just held Tobi on his lap and tried to rein in his anger. By the time Kyle stepped in front of him, he finally felt like he wasn’t going to explode. “Kitten, you have gotten yourself in some trouble. We’ll deal with that later. Right now what you need to know is that our guys lost the car that was chasing Gracie. It was a black SUV with tinted windows so they didn’t get a good look at the driver. And before you ask, there wasn’t a license plate on the vehicle either.” He had already sent a couple of guys to Gracie’s apartment to check out things and pick up a few things for her. They were hoping her apartment key was on the key ring she’d left in her car’s ignition so they wouldn’t draw attention to the fact she wasn’t returning home tonight by speaking with the super. In that neighborhood, that kind of information was probably an open invitation to every two-bit thief for miles.

  Watching Tobi sit on Kent’s lap, Kyle could feel the tension radiating off her. He knew it wasn’t all from her worries about Gracie because she had to know she’d made several big mistakes. He didn’t doubt she was worrying about the consequences of her actions as well as how her friend was doing. He ran his fingers through her hair and smiled down at her. “Kitten, we’ll deal with it. I’m sure my brother will be lighting up your beautiful ass at some point in the very near future. You already know you’ve left us no choice but to punish you. And we won’t deal with it by walking away, that isn’t what we want and it certainly isn’t what you need.”

  Kent was glad to hear Kyle reiterate what he’d already told Tobi because she would need to hear it again and again before she truly believed they weren’t going to send her packing at the first sign of trouble. In a lot of ways she reminded him of a fragile bird with a broken wing. Even though he loved her fire and passion, he wanted to help her learn to direct both emotions so they didn’t come back and bite her in the ass. When he wrapped his arms tightly around her and hugged her for long seconds Kent felt her relax. It was if she had been waiting for that reassurance and he was grateful he’d been able to give it to her.

  Kyle sat beside him and pulled her onto his own lap. “Come here, kitten. I need to feel your heart beating against mine. You scared the shit out of me with that stunt you pulled outside. Don’t ever do that again.” Kent could hear the emotion in his brother’s voice and understood it completely. His own heart had nearly stopped when Tobi had stepped into the car’s path. All three men had been trained to assess danger in less than the time it took to blink and they’d all known she’d misjudged the distance and angles. Even now, just thinking about what could have happened made him shudder.

  When Micah stepped out of the exam room several minutes later his jaw was set and his eyes flashing fire. He pulled a chair up in front of Kyle and Tobi before leaning forward and clasping his hands together. “Tobi, have you spoken to your brother since the fire at your apartment?”

  Kent could see the question surprised Tobi as much as it had both he and Kyle. “No, I haven’t. I’ve been stalling because I just didn’t want to answer all of his questions and deal with his condescending comments.” Kent watched as realization washed over her expression and it went from confused to disbelief to mortification in just seconds. “Oh my God, please tell me my brother isn’t involved in this. He knew Gracie and I were friends, but I can’t imagine him hurting her. I know that sounds naïve but it’s not what you think. Richard is a pansy-ass. He wouldn’t know how to be physically intimidating. He is accustomed to being verbally abusive, that’s a given, but I can’t see him trying to choke Gracie.”

  “Is it possible he might be working with Chris Feldman?” Kent felt Tobi’s entire body stiffen and her respiration rate was steadily increasing. He was actually concerned she was going to have a panic attack and for several seconds she just seemed to be trying to pull her thoughts together.

  “I don’t know. I suppose it’s possible. They met once that I know of and they seemed to get on all right, but I attributed that to the fact they are both ruthlessly ambitious. I suppose I assumed that meant they understood each other.” They all watched as Tobi seemed to center herself again. And this time when she looked up there was a fire in her eyes that hadn’t been there before. Jax had stepped into the hall and was leaning against the doorframe listening intently as Tobi continued, “Why are you asking me these questions? And don’t even think about lying to me, Micah. I know you are a Dom and we’re at the club, but we’re friends and I hope we have enough respect for one another that you won’t insult my intelligence by trying to deceive me. If my brother or Chris is either one responsible for the harm to Gracie…well, I’m going to need help with a couple of things.”

  Kyle turned her face to his and asked, “What will you need help with, kitten?”

  “I’ll need an alibi and help hiding the bodies.” Kent saw Kyles’s grin a split second before all four of them burst out laughing.

  Jax was the first one to regain control and speak, “Damn—I like her. You two ass jacks did good. Sweet cheeks, if you need an accomplice don’t you hesitate to call me.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  Tobi felt a little better after speaking with Gracie and getting her sweet friend settled in the guesthouse that she had been using. Gracie had explained to Jax how she’d been accosted in front of her building as she was returning from work. The man had grabbed her from behind and demanded to know where Tobi was staying and what she’d told the police about the fire. He had mentioned hurting Tobi’s sister-in-law, but hadn’t mentioned her brother and that had seemed odd to everyone but Tobi.

  Tobi had quickly explained that anyone who knew her very well knew she preferred her sister-in-law, Stacey, to her brother, Richard. Tobi also pointed out that if Chris or Richard wanted to threaten her, hurting Gracie or Stacey would be exactly what they would use.

  Jax had stayed with Gracie when Kyle and Kent finally pulled Tobi from the small cabin. Gracie had been curled up in the large man’s lap sleeping peacefully. As they walked along the lighted path back to the club Tobi started to get nervous, knowing that her day of reckoning was coming quickly. She was torn between wanting to stay quiet in hopes it all blew over and apologizing again. Deciding the ostrich theory had the most merit, Tobi kept still and sent up several prayers to saints she’d never prayed to before. She hoped they might take pity on her since they wouldn’t have heard all her lame excuses before.

  “Kitten, I can practically hear the wheels in your head spinning. What are you thinking about?” Kyle had stopped at one of the small alcoves in the gardens behind the club and turned to face her.

  Oh brother, you are in so deep, Tobi. How could you get yourself in such a batch of pickle fudge anyway? Your mouth, that’s how. Hell it’s always your mouth. Boy oh boy, you can’t lie for shit either and why would you even bother because they both have that damned built in b/s detector. Well frack a feathered flamingo.

  As soon as she looked up into their smiling faces she knew she’d been speaking out loud. “Well fuck me. I just never lear
n.” She knew her cursing had probably just thrown gas on the fire but really, she didn’t think she could get in much deeper so it didn’t seem to matter at this point.

  Kyle was shaking his head and chuckling. “Honest to God, I understand our dads’ frustration now. You are a handful, kitten. And it’s sure easy to see why mom likes you. Christ she’s called every day—at least once—to make sure Kent and I aren’t screwing this up.” Tobi felt her jaw fall open and had to make a conscious effort to close her mouth so she didn’t look like a fool.

  “Your mom calls and checks on me? Why? I mean…well, she seems like a perfectly nice woman, but we barely know each other. We've only spent a little time together. I can’t imagine she could really care about me. Why would she care about me? After all, that doesn’t really make any sense does it? If you think—”

  “Kitten, stop stalling and answer my question.” Kyle’s question has suddenly become a demand and he was right, she had been stalling. But it had gotten to be harder to think up things to say than it would be to just blurt out the truth so she was actually kind of relieved.

  She took a deep breath and outlined the stone she was standing on with her bare toe before finally looking up. “Well, I was deciding if the ostrich theory or begging for forgiveness was the best plan.”

  This time Kent chuckled. “Brother, remind me to thank our dads for not strangling our mom.” He stepped forward and kissed Tobi on the forehead. “Love, the sooner you figure out that you aren’t in charge when it comes to what happens in the club, the easier your life is going to be. Outside of sex, the club, and play, we’ll all be equal partners. But we’ll pull rank on you every single time you try to top from the bottom, sweetness.” Tobi was pretty sure that was an exaggeration, but she was equally convinced now wasn’t the time to point it out.