by Harley Wylde
The rustle of a plastic sack carried over the short distance, and I winced when I realized everything I owned probably fit into a small shopping bag. I could hear someone rummaging through the sack and then a soft growl I recognized as Tank.
“Wait here.”
I heard his booted steps, but they didn’t come toward me. I inched closer to the door, but stayed hidden. What was he doing? I listened hard but couldn’t hear anything else. When his steps came closer and then stopped again, I held my breath and strained to hear what he said.
“Take this and ask Janessa to go with you. She’ll know what to get. I wrote the sizes down.”
Wrote the sizes down? My curiosity got the better of me and I crept into the hall. Neither man noticed me, and I saw Tank hand the guy a piece of paper and a wad of cash. My sack of belongings lay on the floor, one of my shirts spilling out of it.
“I’ll drop everything off in a bit,” the man said.
“Send Fenton over. I need a word with him,” Tank said.
“Sure. But if you’re going to make him bleed, you might want to take it elsewhere. The girl might be squeamish.”
When he turned, I saw the word Prospect across his back along with Dixie Reapers MC and a rather menacing image. What were those vest things called? Oh yeah, a cut. I’d watched reruns of a show about bikers back at the motel and had tried to learn as much as I could, even though I doubted everything on TV was even close to factual.
Tank shut the door behind him, then turned and spotted me.
“How long you been there?” he asked.
“Long enough to wonder what you’re doing.”
“King is going to grab Tex’s daughter and take her to the store. She’s nearly eighteen and should be able to pick a few things you’ll like. You need more clothes than what you have. Not to mention the shoes look like they’ll fall apart if I look at them too hard.”
“It was the best I could do with what little I had,” I said, feeling a little defensive. It wasn’t like I’d planned to go on the run and hideout in this town.
“Your sister wore nice clothes when she was here. I’m sure she’d want the same for you. Does she know you’ve been struggling and living in a dangerous area?”
“Not exactly,” I mumbled. Or really, not at all. I hadn’t tried to contact Lupita even once, and I was sure she was worried about me. If she’d thought for one second the Dixie Reapers had turned me away, she’d have found a way to either reach me herself, or she’d have sent someone after me.
“That’s what I thought. If you’d told her you were refused entrance to the compound, I have no doubt she’d have a found a way for all of us to be murdered in our sleep. She never said your name, but she did talk about a little sister during one of our conversations. I could tell she was protective of you.”
“Yeah, sometimes she takes it too far. Like going to prison for something she didn’t do.”
“We didn’t understand at the time why she did it, but it’s making sense now.”
“I told her it was stupid,” I muttered. “She should have just asked you to help me. Surely you aren’t all big enough assholes you’d have told her no.”
“Well, we can be assholes, but no. If we’d known you were in trouble, we would have helped, or at least tried to,” Tank said.
“So what do we do now?” I asked.
“Right now, I’m going to feed you, and you’re going to tell me exactly what you’re running from. Obviously, it’s your father and that Ernesto dickhead, but I need to know everything. If you want me to keep you safe, I need to know what I’m up against.”
“Feed me?” I asked. “Am I a pet?”
“And there’s the Montoya sarcasm. I knew you had to share something with Lupita other than the shape of your eyes.”
My cheeks warmed. “Sorry.”
“You are a legal adult, right? I’m not harboring a teen in my house?”
“I’m twenty-one,” I said, glaring at him. Did he honestly think I looked like a kid? Sure, I still got carded when I went out for a drink, but I’d always thought it was just because they were legally obligated to ask for ID. It never occurred to me they thought I was underage.
“No, baby. You definitely have the curves of a woman, but I had to ask.”
It made me wonder just how old he was. I figured if he’d chased after Lupita, he had to be at least close to her age. She was nearly thirty, but he seemed a bit older. Maybe thirty-five? I’d never been attracted to an older man before, but then I’d never met someone who looked like Tank either, or had his commanding presence. Just standing near him, I could almost feel the power coming off him. My father and Ernesto were both powerful men too, but they were cruel and heartless. There was a hint of warmth in Tank’s eyes. Regardless of what he’d done, or would do, I could tell he was a good man. Maybe not by everyone’s standards, but when you found out the man you’d called father all your life sold women and children, drugs, and guns, and murdered people in cold blood, it put things into perspective.
“Come on,” he said nodding toward the kitchen. “You must be hungry. As big an asshole as that manager was, I doubt he’s made sure you get to eat while you’re at work.”
“Um, no. We were permitted a break since I guess it’s the law, but if we eat anything from the diner, he makes us pay full price.”
Tank pulled out a kitchen chair for me and I sat. He opened the fridge and shifted some things around, then pulled out a covered dish.
“Ridley made this for me last night. I haven’t had a chance to eat any yet. I think she said it’s a cheddar potato casserole with chunks of ham. Sound okay?” he asked.
“It sounds really good. Who’s Ridley? Your girlfriend?”
Tank threw his head back and laughed so hard I thought he might hurt himself.
“No, sweetheart. Ridley isn’t mine. She’s belongs to Venom, and he’d have my head if I even looked at her that way. She has a tendency to cook extra food here and there, and gives it to one of us bachelors. It was just my turn to get treated to a home-cooked meal.”
“Why do you all have strange names?” I asked.
“They’re road names, and the only ones we use. For the most part. I know the guys who are married or have claimed old ladies use their real names at home around their families. Isabella has slipped up often enough with her husband Torch. It’s a little funny watching his reaction when it happens, but the second he looks at her, he goes all soft.”
“He must really love her,” I said.
“Yeah, he does.”
“So you don’t have a girlfriend or a wife? Or what did you call them? An old lady?” I asked.
“Nope. Completely single and free.”
“Just the way you like it?” I guessed.
He shrugged. “I wouldn’t mind settling down if the right woman came along. Been burned one too many times, I guess. I don’t usually let women get close enough for something like that. Easier to just keep it casual.”
“Lupita is the same way. I don’t know if she’s ever gotten serious with anyone. I’ve only been in this country for three years, and I’ve never heard of a boyfriend. I know she dates, but I don’t think she sees anyone more than once or twice.”
“What about you?” he asked. “When you came here, did you leave a boyfriend at home?”
“No. I’ve never…” I looked away. “I’ve never dated.”
Saying those words out loud, especially to a man who had probably slept with a ton of women, made me feel inferior for some reason. It wasn’t that I hadn’t been asked out while I was in college. After finding out about my father, and learning about Ernesto, it was hard to trust anyone. What if my father had been using them? Or even worse, what if they were just as bad as Ernesto? I didn’t trust anyone anymore. Until now. Lupita trusted Tank, so that meant I could too.
Tank put the casserole dish into the oven, then headed to the front of the house when the doorbell rang. A moment later, he came back with another man follow
ing him. I recognized him as the guy who had turned me away that first night. He looked a little green, and I wondered just how much trouble he was in for not passing my message to Tank.
“Recognize her, Fenton?” Tank asked.
“Maybe,” Fenton said, looking everywhere but at me.
“I know you recognized her car. You looked about ready to piss yourself when you saw me bringing her into the compound,” Tank said. “Want to tell me about it?”
“I didn’t know she was important,” the man said. “We’ve had a lot of women trying to get inside, claiming to know one of you. I thought she was just another groupie trying to get into the compound. She said she was related to some woman named Lupita Montoya, but I didn’t know who the fuck that was. Figured it was some club slut.”
“Who gave you permission to decide who was allowed inside and who wasn’t?” Tank demanded.
“I thought I was protecting the club,” Fenton mumbled, looking at his boots. When his gaze locked on Tank’s, the man turned so pale I thought he might pass out.
“I should kick your ass out and not let you come back,” Tank said. “Do you have any idea what she’s been through because you tossed her message away? There are powerful men after her, and she was fucking scared. She came here for help and instead she ended up in a shit motel in the bad part of town. You know damn well what happens over there.”
Fenton audibly swallowed and went to move closer to me, but Tank blocked him.
“I just want to apologize to her,” Fenton said, his voice strained. “I didn’t mean to put her in danger. If I’d known she needed help, I’d have let her in.”
Tank shifted to the side and Fenton came closer, then knelt at my feet. I could see how sorry he was, the compassion in his eyes wasn’t something he could fake. He reached for me and Tank growled softly. It was enough to make Fenton drop his hand.
“I’m sorry I turned you away and didn’t give your message to Tank. If I’d known you needed help and weren’t just trying to sneak into the compound, I’d have let you through even if he wasn’t here. I hope you can forgive me. You need anything and I’ll be there.”
“It’s okay,” I said.
“No, it fucking isn’t,” Tank said. “You want to stay and be a Reaper?”
“You know I do,” Fenton said, rising to his feet. “I fucked up, and I know it. I’ll do whatever it takes to earn back your trust.”
“You can start by scrubbing the clubhouse top to bottom, including the toilets. All of them.”
Fenton winced.
“Be glad I don’t make you use a fucking toothbrush to do it,” Tank said.
“Yes, sir. I’m sorry, Tank. Really. You know I’d never put a woman in harm’s way. Not intentionally.”
“That remains to be seen. Get the fuck out of here.”
Fenton gave me one last apologetic look before disappearing. I heard the front door open and shut a moment later. Tank folded his arms and stared off in the direction Fenton had just taken, the tension rolling off him in waves. I stood and went to him, placing my hand on his arm. When his gaze landed on mine, I felt my breath hitch and my heart skipped a beat. I couldn’t imagine my sister turning this man away. If he ever tried to pursue me, I knew it wouldn’t take much to get me into his bed. I’d held out this long, but Tank was different from the others.
Not that he’d look twice at me if Lupita was more his style. I loved my sister, but we couldn’t possibly be more opposite. Other than our coloring, there wasn’t a damn thing we had in common. Unless you counted DNA. She was all fire and ready to bust someone’s balls, while I was more the sit and read in the corner type. I’d never envied my sister until this moment. For the first time in my life, she had something I wanted. Well, she might not technically have Tank, but he’d have been hers if she’d given in.
“I’m fine, Tank. I know Lupita wanted you to protect me, but Fenton didn’t know I was in trouble. Everyone makes mistakes.”
“His could have gotten you killed.”
“My father might not be a nice man, and Ernesto makes my skin crawl, but I don’t think either would have killed me.”
“Then why did you try to hide from them? Why do you need me if they’re such upstanding men?” he asked.
“I didn’t say they were upstanding, just that I didn’t think they would kill me.” I looked away and sat again. “If I’d married Ernesto, I’d have wanted to die by the time he was finished with me. He’s not a good man. He’s cold, heartless, and I think he enjoys hurting people, even women.”
“You’re safe here, Emmie. He can’t get to you.”
“You don’t know him,” I said softly. “He won’t stop until he has me. I should have known I couldn’t escape my fate. It was stupid to come here, to even leave Spain to begin with. I knew my father would look for me and eventually find me. I’m only prolonging the inevitable.”
“You said you’re here legally,” Tank said. “Does that mean you’re now a US citizen? Or are you on some sort of student Visa?”
“My sister helped me get a Green Card when I told her I needed to leave Spain. I don’t know if she used her connections or what, but I’m considered a Lawful Permanent Resident of the US. It didn’t happen overnight, but Lupita helped me through the process. I’ve been a student the last three years, until I moved here a few weeks ago. My sister helped me get set up at the school. I’m registered as Emmie and not Emelda, but just to be safe, she had agents watching over me. As far as I know, they were still around even after she went to prison. But without knowing for certain…”
“Worried your dad would track you?” he asked.
“Yes. Lupita told me to come straight here and not stop. I only took breaks to retrieve the directions she’d left for me and little pit stops along the way to refill the gas tank and buy some food.”
“Your college isn’t nearby?” he asked.
“A few hours. I didn’t want to be too far from where Lupita was living. I had a dorm room, but I’m sure by now my roommate has reported me missing.”
Tank’s eyebrows rose. He pulled a phone from his pocket and made a call.
“Wire,” he said. “I need you to find anything you can on Emelda Montoya, previously of Spain. Might check under Emmie Montoya as well. See if anyone is searching for her. She left school abruptly, and they may have called the police and filed a missing persons report.”
He listened for a moment, then ended the call.
“Who’s Wire?” I asked.
“One of my brothers. If there’s any information out there on you, he’ll find it.”
“So, what do I do now?” I asked.
“Your new clothes should be here later today. When they get here, you should probably soak in the tub and try to relax. You look about ready to jump out of your skin.”
“I don’t think I’ve been relaxed since Lupita went to prison.”
“Why did she turn herself in for those murders?” he asked. “She had to have known we would help you without her going to such extremes.”
“She said she didn’t want to give you a chance to say no.”
He shook his head and walked over to the oven, then pulled the casserole dish out and set it on top of the stove. Taking down two plates, he scooped the food and put both plates on the table, then retrieved silverware and drinks for us. Tank claimed the chair next to me and the heat from his thigh nearly touching mine made my belly clench. Not once had I ever been tempted by a man. Not in Spain, and not since coming to the US. Until Tank.
It figured the one man who definitely wouldn’t want me was the first guy who made me want to give up my V-card. It would never happen, but it didn’t mean the man didn’t tempt me. I’d never met a guy in his twenties who had Tank’s confidence and air of authority. Maybe that was part of what drew me to him.
We ate in silence, with Tank mostly ignoring me. I did catch a glance here and there, but he was probably just making sure I was eating. Men like Tank didn’t notice me. And the guys
who did notice, only wanted in my pants. Except Ernesto. I shivered, scared spitless of what that man wanted from me. I knew he wanted me to be a virgin when he claimed me, but I didn’t know exactly what my fate would be at his hands, just that it would be painful. A man like that didn’t give a shit about anyone but himself.
The doorbell rang again and Tank rose to answer it. I pushed my plate away, unable to eat another bite. The food was really good, but I didn’t have much of an appetite. Despite Tank’s assurance that I was safe, I wasn’t sure I believed him. I’d thought hiding in this town would be enough to stay under my father’s radar, but I’d slipped up somewhere. I didn’t use the same phone Lupita had given me, I didn’t use my bank account, hadn’t contacted my college, got paid under the table… Where had I gone wrong?
I heard Tank curse and a door slammed into the wall. I bolted out of my chair, knocking it over, and looked around the kitchen for an escape. Had my father found me? Was Ernesto out there, forcing his way into the house? My heart felt like it was going to hammer out of my chest and my body started shaking.
When Tank walked past with my sister in his arms, I gave a startled cry and ran after them.
“What’s wrong? Why is Lupita here?” I asked.
He ducked into the room he’d given me and laid her out on the bed. She looked like she’d been beaten to hell, dark purple and black bruises covering every inch of exposed skin. Tears streaked my cheeks as I rushed to her side, but Tank held me back.
“Easy, sweetheart. You might hurt her more if you try to hug her right now,” Tank said.
“What happened?” I asked, my voice breaking.
“I’m not sure. I opened the door and before she could speak, she pitched forward and passed the hell out.”
Heavy footsteps entered the room. A giant blond man I’d never seen before gazed at Lupita with concern. The front of his cut said Flicker.
“I already called the doc,” Flicker said. “She probably needs a damn hospital, but I don’t know if she broke out of prison or was released. I’m not taking a chance on the cops picking her up.”
