Sanctuary (Freaks MC Book 2) (7 page)

He smiled and scratched Blue behind his stupid, too big ears. Of course Emma didn't want some badass beast to protect her or some hairy rat thing to cuddle. That wouldn't be her at all. She'd gone to the pound and picked out the ugliest, most unlovable looking dog there, simply because she knew no one else would. And because she loved him, Deke loved him, too. He ran his thumb across her slender fingers. “When he… When you... You call me, okay?”

“
Of course.” Her fingers weren't soft under his thumb, they were rough and callused, and there was dirt under her fingernails. “But I'm not going to wait around until you get here. If he gets sick, I'm not going to prolong it. I've got this, Deke. I don't need you rushing across the country to hold my hand.”

“
I know, baby girl. But I'd like to be here if I could.” He brought her fingers to his lips – they smelled of linseed – and kissed them softly. “I like holding your hand.”

Sometimes, like now, she would search his face as if looking for something. He wasn't sure what, but when those pretty blue eyes bored into his, he knew that lying to her was never going to be an option. She smiled, as if she'd found whatever it was she was searching for. “You really are a good man.”

“No, I ain't. I'm far from that.” He gripped her hand tighter.

“
Deke. I'm not some starry-eyed kid. I know what I see when I look at you.”

“
No you don't.” He slammed his hand on the table and Blue flinched, then sloped off into the corner. Deke felt a pang of guilt, but suddenly this was important. She didn't know what it was she was looking at. She had no idea what he was capable of. “I'm a dangerous man to be around.”

“
Deke..”

“
No, I need you to listen to me. I swear on everything I hold dear, I will never deliberately hurt you. But the code I live by means that you could get hurt. I will try to keep it from you, but if we are really going to do this, you have to understand that no matter how much I love you – and I do love you – if I have to choose between you or the club...” She opened her mouth to speak, and he held up his hand. “You can't keep brushing my concerns aside. You're giving up your home and friends to be nearer to me, but you'll also be nearer to the club.”

She sighed. “I brush your concerns aside because I don't actually know what they are. You are so obtuse. 'I'm a dangerous man, Emma, bad shit happens to old ladies, Emma.' How are you dangerous? What bad shit? How am I supposed to make a judgment about something when I don't know what it is?” She pushed her chair back and took her stash tin from the bookcase. “Truthfully, I'm not sure I ever want to set foot in a clubhouse again, and if that is going to be a problem then I may as well pull down that sign outside right now.”

Was that a problem? Deke leaned back in his chair and watched her as she rolled a joint. “I want you in my life. I can't talk about what I do, you know that, and I'm sorry that your first experience of the club was so crappy. I ain't asking you to go to every party, but my life is the club and if we're going to make a go of this – you and me – you have to accept that. I want you to go into this with your eyes open. When I'm here with you, I can leave that part of my life behind for a while, and that won’t change if you move to Seattle. But you know if I get a call, I'm outta here.” He sighed. “I don't know how to explain it to you... The club is my family. For over twenty years, it's been my only family. I would lay down my life, or sacrifice my freedom, to protect it. When you look at me, you see a good man. But the man who looks back at me in the mirror is a Freak.”

For what seemed like an eternity, she studied his face, then, without a word, stood and walked out to the yard. Part of him just wanted to leave her alone, but the other part – the part that was terrified he would lose her – won out and, after a few minutes, he followed her.

She was sitting on an old wooden bench staring out at the chickens. “What do you know about me, Deke?”

Okay, that came out of leftfield. “Um, I know plenty.”

“What's my full name? When is my birthday? Do I have siblings? Where did I grow up?”

He opened his mouth... And then closed it again. How could that be? How could he not know this shit? He knew her better than anyone. Her favorite movies, what books she read, even her favorite color. He knew that she danced in the kitchen to cheesy pop songs when she thought no one was watching and that she couldn't sing for shit. He knew what made her laugh, and what made her cry. He knew her passions and her phobias. He sat down next to her. “Guess I never thought any of that shit was important.”

She leaned against him. “Do you want to know?”

“
I dunno. I guess.”

“
My name is Emma Mae Murphy, I was born in Boston three days before Christmas, thirty-five years ago. My parents still live there, as do my two brothers. I haven't seen them for nearly ten years. No big drama, we speak on the phone, but I'm kind of a disappointment to them so I keep my distance.” She smiled. “So now you know.”

“
Why are you a disappointment?”

“
The usual reasons.” She laid her hand on top of his. “I love your hands.”

“
Emma.” He wanted to know how she could possibly be a disappointment to anyone.

“
I should have a high-powered career, or at least be married to someone who does. They think I'm wasting my life.” She ran her finger across his knuckles. “Don't think they'd like you much.”

“
I ain't exactly meet-the-parents material.” He grinned and kissed her temple. “Why you telling me this now, baby girl?”

She shrugged. “I don't know anything about you. Not really. But I know what I see when I look at you. And you don't know anything about me, but that doesn't stop you loving me. You say I'm brushing your concerns away, and that there's a side to you I know nothing about. Maybe I am. But I know you better than you think.” She smiled. “I know that whatever you were doing back in Seattle is sitting heavy on your heart.”

How the fuck did she do that? Deke closed his eyes. The club had found out that the street gang that had been responsible for Mikey's death were hanging out in an old, disused warehouse on the edge of the docks and they'd gone in in their usual manner: hard and fast, armed with chains and baseball bats.

It had gone like a dream, everyone one of those cowardly pieces of shit would carry a permanent reminder of what happened when you fucked with The Freaks MC, yet it had left a bad taste in his mouth. The intel had been good, but they were just kids – not even old enough to drink – and had been no match for his brothers. But as he'd pounded his fist into that kid's face he hadn't cared. It didn't matter which one of them had put the knife into Mikey. They were all responsible, and the only reason that he hadn't killed him with his bare hands was because his brothers had pulled him away. As it was, he was going to be breathing through a tube for the foreseeable future and had probably lost an eye. Her tiny hand squeezed his and he smiled. “Witch.”

“I know what I see, Deke.”

NINE

So this was Seattle. Emma sat in the passenger seat of the black SUV and watched the scenery go by. It looked okay, she guessed. A little too big, but there seemed to be plenty of art galleries and cute little craft stores around. Briefly she wondered whether Beth had chosen this route deliberately. She glanced at the woman behind the wheel. “Thanks for this, Beth.”

“
Not a problem. It will be nice to have an intelligent conversation for a change. There's a bottle of Chablis in the fridge, the kids are staying at a friend's for the night and I fully intend to get drunk for the first time since…well, forever.” Beth grinned. “You down with that?”

“
Sounds perfect.” Actually Emma was trying to shake the feeling that she'd been railroaded. Deke had conveniently forgotten to tell her that he and Tiny would be on a run, only remembering to mention it the day before her flight, but had told her that Beth would pick her up from the airport and she was welcome to stay with her until he got into town. “Although I do have three houses to look at tomorrow.”

“
You need any company? I'm not picking the kids up till tomorrow evening, so I have practically the whole day free.”

“
Actually, that would be great. I could use another pair of eyes, but surely there's other stuff you'd rather do.”

“
Housework, cooking, missing my babies and going to pick them up early. Nope, I think poking around somebody else's house sounds perfect.”

Beth turned on to a long, tree-lined avenue and pulled up outside a big old house at the end of a long, winding driveway with perfectly manicured lawns on either side. It looked more like the house belonging to a doctor than an outlaw biker and his old lady. “Wow, you have a lovely house.”

“Thanks, we like it.” Beth grabbed her bag and led her around to the back door. “It was a wreck when we bought it, and I don't recommend living in an RV to anyone, but it was worth it.”

Emma gazed around the expansive kitchen. No one could accuse Beth of being too specific. The room was tasteful, with cream walls, high gloss black appliances and granite counters, the only colors coming from the red tiles, blinds, a huge red range. The big dining table and old-fashioned sideboard covered with family photographs gave it a homey feel and the character of the house still shone through. Beth smiled. “Please, sit down. Coffee?”

“Please.” Instead of sitting, Emma wandered over to the sideboard and gazed at the photographs. She picked up one of Tiny, astride his Harley with a little blonde girl in front of him.

“
That's my niece, Amy.” Beth took the picture and ran her thumb across it. “She died before I got pregnant with Abs. Losing her was the hardest thing we've ever had to deal with. To be honest, if it wasn't for Samson, I doubt Joe and I would have made it.”

“
I'm so sorry.” Emma guessed there was much, much more to that story, but she just touched Beth's arm, then picked up a photo of Abigail holding her new baby brother. “Wow, he looks like his dad. I can't wait to meet him.”

“
He's got his dad's personality, too. Not a peep from him most of the time, but when he loses his temper, everyone knows it.” Beth smiled. “You know, I'm beginning to understand why Samson fell in love with you.”

By the time they were halfway through the bottle of wine and a quarter-way through the pizza, Emma had decided she really liked Beth. At the wedding she'd come across as a little smug, but she guessed that being pregnant and marrying the man she loved could do that to a person. Now, though, she realized nothing could be further than the truth. She was smart, with a quick wit, and was so unashamedly in love with her husband that Emma could understand why Deke was so fond of her. She took another slice. “This is great, I can't remember when I last had homemade pizza.”

“
Thank you. I don't make it often, but when we were kids, Joe's mom would make it for us. It's my comfort food.”

“
So were you and Joe childhood sweethearts?”

“
No. We've been together for nearly eight years, but I've known him all my life. One day, when I'm far more drunk than I am now, I'll tell you the whole sordid tale.” She grinned. “What about you? Samson told me you're an artist.”

“
Yeah, I sell my canvases in Boise. They sell okay, but I do a few shifts in a local diner as well to stop me turning into a complete hermit as much as anything.” She grinned. “It's easy to lose track sometimes, and if I'm left to my own devices I can go days without seeing anyone.” She eyed the last slice of pizza. “Are you going to eat that?”

“
Help yourself. I shouldn't be eating it at all. I put on so much weight with Luke.”

“
You look fine to me.” Emma grinned. “You have a great figure, like a real woman. I'd love a body like yours.”

“
You're very kind. But I've got a closet full of clothes that will tell you different.” She yawned. “Jesus, I'm sorry, I'm such a lightweight. It's really rude of me, but do you mind if I head upstairs? The prospect of a whole night with no snoring or crying babies is just too tempting.”

“
I'm sure it is. You go on up. I'll clear this away then hit the hay as well.”

~ oOo ~

Beth was turning out to be the perfect house viewing partner. While Emma was swooning over the original doorknobs and wandering around yards trying to figure out where the chickens would live, she was poking damp patches suspiciously and discussing potential boundary issues with the agent.

Most of her house hunting had been done online, and it had been easy to narrow down her search: Plenty of outdoor space, sunny kitchen and room for a studio, all for as little as possible.

The first house they had looked at was an outright 'no.' While it had looked good on paper, the neighbors were too close and just felt all wrong. Emma had loved the second. It was in the most perfect location, a couple of hours’ drive from Seattle, and stood on a huge plot of land. The house had a few issues, but she figured she could fix it up. Beth had shaken her head, pulled out her cell and stepped outside, only to return minutes later, and handed Emma the phone. “Hello?”

“
Hey, baby girl. Beth tells me you want to put an offer on the place you're looking at.”

“
It's perfect, I don't want to lose it.”

“
I think you'll find perfect houses have a roof, sweetheart.”

“
It has a roof... Mostly.”

“
Do not do anything till I've looked at it. And stop pouting.”

“
I'm not pouting. I do really like it, though.”

“
Emma, I'm serious. You don't have the cash to fix it up, I'll help where I can, but I ain't a rich man.”

She sighed. He was right, of course. A small inheritance had paid for her last house, but there was no cash in the pot, and she doubted she'd get a mortgage with her meager income. “Fine. I won’t do anything rash. I promise.”

“Good girl. I'll see you this evening.”

“
Okay, bye.” She passed the cell back to Beth. “Rat.”

“
I'm under strict instructions not to let you do anything stupid.” She laughed. “His words, not mine. Come on, let's go and look at the other one.”

~ oOo ~

“I'm not sure about this.” Emma stood outside the clubhouse and stuffed her hands into her pockets. “Maybe I'll wait in the car.”

Beth smiled and, taking her arm, led her purposefully to the big black doors. “It's kind of a tradition to meet the guys here when they come back from a run, and Yaz is bringing the kids. Don't worry, you don't have to stick around for the party – I hardly ever do – but Samson will be disappointed if you're not here to meet him.”

The lingering scent of stale beer and weed combined with cheap perfume and sweat assailed her senses as she walked through the door. Emma wrinkled her nose and looked around. Everything from the walls, to the bar, even the clothes that the assembled women were wearing, was black. The only splash of color came from the huge double-headed viper painted in gold and red on the far wall. Despite the room being practically empty, a pall of smoke hung heavily from the ceiling, Beth frowned and wedged the doors open. “It wouldn't kill them to clean this place up now and again. Come on let's go and say hi to the girls.”

'The girls' eyed her suspiciously as Beth made the introductions. Only Bonnie, the President's old lady, smiled. “Hi love, welcome to Seattle. Beth tells me you're house hunting. How's that going?”

“Awful. Every time I find something I like, Beth and Deke pick on me.” She sighed. “I have another couple of days to look before I have to go home. hopefully I'll find something. I really don't want to have to live in my car.”

“
Have you sold your house already?”

“
Almost, I've accepted an offer and they're keen to move things along.” She grinned. “It really seemed like a good idea at the time. Now, though, I'm not so sure.”

“
I hear you, love. I hate moving. The next time will most definitely be my last. You want a beer?” She nodded to a downtrodden-looking girl who was standing behind the bar. “Two beers over here, love.”

Beth straightened up and grinned as Abigail trotted in accompanied by a tall, thin woman in her fifties, carrying a sleeping baby in a car seat. “Hey, baby. Have you been good for Auntie Yaz?”

Abigail nodded. “I had cake.”

“
Good for you.” Beth picked her up and kissed her cheek. “Did you miss me?”

“
Down, mommy. Need Bonnie hugs.”

“
That'll be a no, then.” She set her daughter on the floor and looked down at her sleeping son. “Thanks for having them, Yaz. It was great to have a night off.” She turned to Emma. “This is Samson's friend, Emma. Emma, this is Yaz.”

Yaz looked her up and down and sneered. “So, you fell for the old Samson charm. Hope you're not holding out any hope of him making you his ol' lady, cuz trust me, darling, that will never happen. If I were you, I'd go back to your nice little life and save yourself a lot of heartache.”

“Yaz.” Bonnie scowled. “Emma is Samson's guest. Have a little respect.”

“
Just saying it as I see it.” Yaz took the offered beer and leaned back on the bar. “Everyone knows he's a dog. No way he'll commit to one woman.”

“
Samson's a good guy.” Beth didn't take her eyes off her daughter, who was now having big hugs with a young guy leaning on the pool table.

“
Well, you would say that. It's no secret how close you two are.” She looked up as the rumble of approaching Harleys filled the room. “Sounds like the guys are here.” Without another word she pushed herself away from the bar and strutted outside.

“
Ignore her.” Beth laid her hand on Emma's arm. “For reasons best known to herself, she really doesn't like Samson. Come on, let's go and see your guy.”

~ oOo ~

Samson leaned back as the sound of approaching bikes grew closer. Nodding to his companion, he fired up the engine and they joined their brothers as they crossed the intersection. Despite Tiny's insistence that he should distance himself from the witness, it made sense that it should be him that dealt with it. And a high profile run such as this provided perfect cover. There were dozens of witnesses that would swear that he and Fox were with them the entire time, and he was confident his little chat with the bartender would be a sufficient incentive for him to forget what he saw.

While the media and TV would have people believe that the club rode around offing people at every opportunity, the truth was somewhat different. It happened, of course. Rats... people who hurt the club would often pay the ultimate price. But usually a well placed threat with – in this case – the offer to settle debts if the witness played ball, was enough. The last thing the club needed was bodies cluttering up the place. Samson grinned. There was always something satisfying about watching a stream of urine running down your victim's leg as you explained in graphic detail what would happen if he didn't retract his statement.

Now all they could do was wait and hope that it was enough. There was no physical evidence to tie Barney and Tiny to the cookhouse fire, and there was a good chance the case would collapse. Samson glanced over to his brother and gave a nod. They'd done all they could, and now it was time to return home to the arms of their families.

~ oOo ~

She looked wrong – too soft – standing with the other old ladies on the clubhouse steps. Even Beth had an edge to her now. The club did that to women. They had to be tough to survive, and although Samson knew she was far from being weak, Emma lacked that hard edge that the other old ladies had.

Her smile, as he dismounted and walked towards her, never quite reached her eyes, and he felt like a complete shit for expecting this of her. He should throw her on the back of his bike, take her straight back to the airport and stay out of her life forever. “Hey.” He ran his fingers through her hair – it looked like she'd dipped the ends in a rainbow – and kissed her. “You okay?”