Sanctuary (Freaks MC Book 2) (10 page)

“
I'll get clean, I swear. You gotta give me a chance.” Barney slid down the wall. “It was just this once.”

“
Save it for church.” He turned on his heel and began to walk to the door.

“
No. Wait!” Scrambling to his feet, Barney grabbed his arm. “You don't have to do this.”

Ignoring him, Samson kept on walking. If he stayed any longer he was going to do something he might regret. “Get cleaned up and be at the club in an hour.”

“
You think he'll show?” Tiny leaned on the bar and looked over to the door.

“
I dunno, but if he values his patch, he will.” Samson sipped his coffee and rubbed his forehead. Slowly the rest of the Seattle chapter made their way in and hung around waiting for Wolf to call them into church. He pushed himself away from the bar. “I'm gonna take a ride.”

“
You not sticking around for church?”

“
Nah. This is a chapter decision. I ain't interested in anything that asshole has got to say. I'll swing by later.”

~ oOo ~

It hadn't taken Emma long to unpack; all but her clothes, artist materials and a few essentials had been put in storage, and now she was completely at a loose end. For half an hour she'd stared at an empty canvas, then stared at houses that she couldn't afford. With a sigh, she closed her laptop and wandered disconsolately to the tiny kitchenette. Maybe the smell of baking would make the place feel more like home.

It was two hours later, when Deke walked in and threw himself onto the sofa. She'd known immediately that something was wrong, but for the first time ever was completely at a loss what she should do. He needed her to be strong – supportive – not to fall apart because her cake had come out as flat as a Frisbee because she couldn't figure out how her new oven worked. He looked up and frowned. “You okay, baby girl?”

She nodded and, sitting next to him, leaned against his shoulder. “Yeah. You?”

He didn't answer, instead he put his arm around her and kissed her hair. Emma closed her eyes. She wished she knew how to explain to him how she was feeling. That for the first time in nearly ten years, that old feeling of disconnect was rearing its ugly head.

For the first twenty-five years of her life, she'd never felt like she really belonged. Not at home or school, not even in art school. She'd never really fit in – not that she hadn't tried – but whether it was amongst her friends, family or boyfriends it had always felt as though she was putting on an act.

It had only been after coming across her little house on one of her many travels and creating her own little world there, that she'd learned to accept herself.

Deke had accepted her, too. He loved her just the way she was.

It had been a mistake, coming here. She knew that now. Already they were pretending that things were fine, when really they were both acutely aware that they weren't. He shifted and, with his forefinger under her chin, lifted her face. “Wanna take a ride?”

~ oOo ~

Deke grinned as Emma pulled off her boots and wandered down to the water's edge. “Kinda cold for
wading, baby girl.”

She turned and smiled. “Well, if you're too much of a pussy.”

Laughing, he began to pull off his own boots and, catching her up, threw her over his shoulder and ran towards the sea. “Pussy, huh?”

The water, as it lapped over his feet, soaking the bottom of his jeans, was frigid, and his thigh was objecting loudly after his exertions, but Deke couldn't have cared less as she pressed herself to him with her arms wrapped around his waist.

Back in Seattle, his brothers would be deciding Barney's fate, and they still had to discuss the motivation behind Lola's attack. His girl was living in a soulless box that she hated, all because she wanted to be with him. But right now, none of that mattered – he bent and kissed her – it was just the two of them, alone on a deserted beach, with nothing but the sound of the waves and the occasional cry of the seagulls. Right now, everything was perfect.

Emma pulled away and smiled. “Thank you. I needed this.”

Deke needed it too. He needed her. He ran his fingers through her tangled curls. “Was thinking. Maybe we should go and look at that wreck of a house you've been raving about.”

“
Really?”

“
Really. Call dancing boy, and arrange another viewing for next week.” He laughed as she threw her arms around his neck. “I ain't making any promises, an' I wanna bring one of my brothers along. He works in construction. If he says no, we'll look for something else. Agreed?”

“
Agreed.”

“
Good. Now can we get out of this fucking water before my toes drop off?”

~ oOo ~

The hipsters cowered in the corner of the small cafe. If they'd believed that all it took to be badass was a beard and some ink, the sight of Deke strutting past them with his woman on his arm was enough to make them consider Gillette and laser treatment. Emma smirked as they took their seats and the waitresses suddenly lost interest in the pretenders. “Stop scaring the children.”

“
Can I help it I'm a badass motherfucker?”

She grinned and picked up the menu. “A badass motherfucker with cold tootsies.”

“Says the woman who's done nothing but bitch about sand in her panties.”

“
I bitched once.” She stuck out her bottom lip and swiped at him with the menu. “It chafes.”

“
Didn't hear you complain when you were riding me back there.”

“
I was complaining in my head.”

“
Sure you were.” He looked up as the waitress approached. “You hungry, baby girl?”

They fell silent as they began to eat. Deke cut into a steak that had barely stopped mooing, while she picked disconsolately at her green salad before reaching over to steal another of his fries. He scowled. “You could have ordered your own, you know.”

“I know. But stolen fries taste so much nicer.”

“
Have I told you how much I love your crazy ass?”

Emma reached over and stole another fry. “Right back at ya, big man.”

She had hoped they would be able to spend the rest of the day together, but Deke was needed back at the clubhouse. Despite the fun they'd had, she knew whatever had happened earlier was troubling him.

Once back in the hated apartment, he'd put on his cut and, before her eyes, Deke disappeared. She'd seen it before - the change in him – it wasn't just the cut. His stance, the way his expression hardened. All the playfulness vanished as he reached down and touched her cheek. “I dunno how late I'll be. Don't wait up.”

TWELVE

“Talk to me, Wolf.” Samson sat in the seat normally reserved for the Vice President. “Where we at?”

“
Barney held on to his patch... just. He's on probation, an' we've got a new sergeant at arms.”

“
Tiny?” He was the obvious choice.

“
Yeah. Barney's got a month. If he stays clean, he stays. If not... “ Wolf shrugged. “Fucker got lucky this time. Bugs and Tiny voted to save him. If it was up to me, I'd kick his ass outta here.”

Samson nodded. He agreed with the Seattle President, but it wasn't his call, and it would take a unanimous vote to kick him from the club. “What about the girls?”

“We'll keep two patches on 'em at all times for now. We're guessing Lola's attack was club related, but they wanna keep working. Until we know who was behind it, we'll watch 'em and any women associated with the club. You need to talk to your ol' lady. She should be safe enough, but we can't be sure where these fuckers are getting their intel from.”

“
You think we got a mole?”

“
Doubt it. But I ain't gonna take any chances.” Wolf leaned back. “You gonna stick around, bro? I'm keeping Barney off any jobs until I'm sure he's clean, and Spike's heading back to Bay View tomorrow. Could use an extra body.” He barked a short, humorless laugh. “To be honest, could use a lot of extra bodies. Got a feeling things are gonna get bloody.”

“
I'll reach out to the nomads. It might be a while for them all to get here, but Spider and an' Tank are in Vancouver with the Psycho twins. I'll give 'em a call, they could be here by the end of the week.”

“
Appreciate it. Brother.”

~ oOo ~

It was still relatively early when he returned to the apartment. The clubhouse was pretty quiet, as was usual on a Sunday night, so after a couple of beers with Tiny and Wolf, he decided to call it a night. Emma was still up, her nose buried in a book, as usual. She looked up and smiled as he walked in and hung up his cut. “Hey.”

“
Hey.” He bent and kissed her before heading into the kitchen and grabbing a couple of beers, all the time rehearsing in his head how he was going to tell her she could be in danger. He sat next to her and passed her a bottle, then, reaching into his waistband, pulled out a Luger. “You know how to use this?”

She shook her head and stared at it. “I don't like guns, Deke. You know that.”

“I know, baby. But I need you to learn. We can go out tomorrow and...”

“
No.”

“
I ain't asking, baby girl. Some shit has gone down. I need to know you can defend yourself.”

“
Am I in danger?” She was calm... Too calm.

“
Probably not, but there could be a chance someone is targeting women associated with the club.”

“
Targeting how?” She frowned as he hesitated. “Targeting how, Deke? Did you know about this before I came?”

“
No, of course not. That call I got this morning... One of the girls got attacked.”

“
Shit. Who? An old lady?”

“
No... One of the girls.” He ran his hand across his head and took a deep breath. She was going to flip anytime soon. “A working girl.”

“
A working girl connected to the club?”

Deke looked at the bottle in his hand… The gun… anywhere but at the woman sitting next to him. “She was under our protection.”

She scowled. Ah, here it came. “You're pimps? You send women out to work the streets? Fuck, Deke. I'm shacked up with a fucking pimp?” He reached out to touch her, but she brushed his hand away angrily and stood up. “You gonna send me out there? Is that how it works? Is that why you want me to have a gun?”

“
Now you're being ridiculous. Of course not.” He stood and grabbed her shoulders, forcing her to sit back down. “No one is forced to work. Do you understand? No one. Some of the girls who come to the club are hookers. They come to us and we protect them when they're out working.”

“
For a price.”

“
Yes, for a cut of what they earn. We ain't a fucking charity. They pay us to keep them safe.” He sighed. “Last night, the brother who was supposed to be looking out for them took off and one of the girls – Lola – got attacked and raped. That's where I was this morning. At the hospital.” He ran his hands down her arms and took the bottle from her hand. “I'm the President of an outlaw motorcycle club, Emma. We ain't a knitting circle. This is how we earn. I thought you understood.” He took her hands in his. “Lola is an old friend. Me an' her go back a long way. She just happens to be a hooker is all.”

“
You fuck her?”

“
I have, in the past.” He felt her try to pull her hands away and tightened his grip. “I'm trying to be straight with you here. Maybe I should have told you this shit before.”

She looked down at the gun, then back up at him. “I can't deal with this right now. I'm going to bed. You can sleep on the sofa, or back at the club. Just make sure you use a condom if you're fucking any whores.”

Now it was his turn to get angry. “I ain't fucking anyone but you, Emma. You know that, so don't start all this 'you can sleep on the sofa' bullshit.” He stood up and grabbed his beer. “I'm going to finish my beer and smoke a cigarette then I'm going to bed. Here. Where you sleep is entirely up to you. In the morning you will learn to use that gun and you will carry it at all times until I decide it's safe for you not to. Do you understand?” She nodded mutely. “Good.” He turned on his heel and headed for the balcony feeling like the world's biggest shit.

~ oOo ~

Emma stared at his retreating back, then down at the gun on the coffee table. How dare he talk to her like that? It was unusual for her to get really angry, but right now it almost rendered her incapable. Taking a huge breath, she fought to control her emotions. She couldn't stay here – if she did she was going to say something she was going to regret – grabbing her car keys, she pulled open the door and ran down the stairs into the cool night air.

“
Where the fuck do you think you're going?” Emma ignored him, and picked up the pace as she hurried to her car. Deke caught up with her and, grabbing her arm, spun her around. “Did you not hear a word I said?”

“
I heard you. You think I could be attacked and raped, and you sleep with hookers.” Fruitlessly, she tried to pull free. “Let me go.”

“
You ain't going anywhere but back up those stairs. Don't fight me on this, Emma. You ain't gonna win.” He pulled her closer. “You can come willingly or I can drag you, it's all the same to me.”

“
Fuck you, asshole.” Ignoring the fact that her traitorous body was responding to his touch, with her free hand, she swung wildly and caught him a glancing blow on the jaw. “I'm not going anywhere with you.”

He smirked... the fucker actually smirked. “Okay, if that's how you want to play it.” In one deft move, he spun her again so that her back was facing him and with his arm around her waist, picked her up and began marching toward the apartment.

“Put Me Down.” With her left leg, she kicked back. Hard.

He grunted as her heel connected with his knee, but didn't relinquish his hold on her until they reached the foot of the stairs. “Get up those stairs. Now!” She opened her mouth, and he scowled. “Now, Emma. I ain't in the mood for this.”

He was still favoring his leg as her marched her up the stairs. Emma forced down a pang of guilt. The fucker wanted to play dirty, he deserved all he got. Once inside she turned to face him. “I'm not staying.” Even to her own ears she sounded petulant. “You can't make me stay.”

“
No, I can't.” He was calm now, but she could sense his anger bubbling under the surface. “Would appreciate an explanation, though. Why'd you run out, baby girl?”

“
Because....” She hesitated. “I was angry – I'm still angry – I don't like being spoken to like that.”

“
No, I know you don't. But you have to understand. I ain't fucking around here. I ain't always gonna be around, and if we're right about the club women being targeted I need to know you can take care of yourself. I know you're uncomfortable around guns, an' I'm sorry that this has happened. But you gotta take this on board, baby girl.” He sat down and straightened his leg with a wince. “If you got hurt cuz I hadn't shown you how to protect yourself, I'd never forgive myself.”

“
I'm kinda freaking out, Deke.” Truthfully, she was beginning to feel a little stupid. She sat down next to him. “I might have overreacted.”

He laughed. “Yeah, you might've. Just remember. If I start laying down the law, it's cuz I need to. I love you, Emma. I'll never cheat, I'll never lie to you and I'll do whatever it takes to keep you safe, an' sometimes that means yelling at you.”

“I know. Really, I do.” She leaned against him. “Sorry for kicking you.”

He shrugged. “I'll live. Was a good kick, though, right on target. Nice to know that you ain't scared to fight dirty. You'd've done some real damage if you'd been wearing shoes.” He chuckled. “You might wanna get dressed properly next time you run out on me.”

She looked down at the baggy tee and her bare legs. “I'll bear that in mind.” As he slipped his arm around her shoulders, Emma snuggled against his chest. “Deke?”

“
Mmm?” He ran his fingers through her hair.

“
The girl who was attacked. Is she gonna be okay?”

“
Yeah. The club will take care of her. I'll make sure of it.”

~ oOo ~

“Maybe if I had a bigger target.” Emma sighed as the plastic water bottles remained stubbornly where Deke had placed them.

“
There are no bigger targets.” Deke took the Luger from her, and replaced the clip. “You might do better if you opened your eyes.”

He held out the gun, but she stuffed her hands in her pockets and shook her head. “I'm cold and wet, and I want to go home.”

“Hit one of those bottles and we can go.” He was cold and wet too; the misty drizzle had become more precipitous over the last hour and a cold wind whipped around the deserted lot behind a derelict gas station. His girl stood in front of him – her hair plastered to her face – and stuck out her chin. “C'mon, baby. I know you can do this.”

“
There'll be no need to defend myself. I'll be dead from pneumonia. I'm going home. You can either give me a ride, or I can walk.” She turned and started to walk back to his bike. “I've got more important things to do.”

“
Emma.” He fell in step next to her, but made no attempt to stop her. “This is important.”

“
To you. This is important to you. Even if I actually manage to hit what I'm shooting at. Do you really think I could put a bullet in someone? I've got two chickens that haven't laid an egg for years because I can't bring myself to kill them.”

“
If it was you or some asshole – you'd do it.” He held out the gun again. “Please, Emma. Indulge me.”

She sighed and took it from him. “Fine, I'll have one more try.”

“Good girl.” He led her back and stood behind her. “Relax, you're too tense. Look at what you want to hit, not what's in your hands. That's it. Now imagine there's a motherfucker in front of you with a knife. He'll kill you if you don't stop him.” He ground his teeth as another shot went wide. “Okay, now he's standing over me. I'll die if you don't hit him. C'mon Emma, I'm bleeding out. You gotta save me. What you waiting for?” The bottle flew into the air, then the next and the next. She didn't stop firing until all were laying on the floor. Gently he took the gun from her shaking hand and pulled her, sobbing, into his arms. “Sssh, baby. You did great.”

~ oOo ~

The shower stall was too small and there wasn't really room for the two of them, but Deke couldn't bear the thought of leaving her alone, not even for a moment. Standing under the scalding water, he reached for the shampoo and began to gently massage it into her scalp. She was so beautiful, so fucking perfect. His hands slowly made their way down her neck and came to rest, briefly, on her shoulders before continuing downward. She moaned quietly as he reached her tits and began to squeeze her nipples – gently at first, then harder as he felt her body respond to his touch. She leaned back and pressed herself against his already throbbing cock and whimpered as his hands again continued their downward journey. Emma turned so that she was now facing him and her hands, too, began to explore his body, then with a tiny smile, she sank to her knees. “Fuck, Emma.” He almost lost it right there, just at the sight of her, with the water cascading over her, pooling in her clavicle. Her beautiful lips wrapped around his cock. “Shit baby, that's so good.” Slowly, her head began to move and he fought the urge to thrust. “Oh yeah, that's it, that's it.” Her hands cupped his balls, and as she began to squeeze, he almost collapsed as he felt himself come undone. “That's it, take it. Oh god, Emma.” He pulled her to her feet and kissed her, tasting himself as his tongue plunged into her mouth. He pulled away and ran his fingers through her hair. “I love you, baby girl.”