Sanctuary (Freaks MC Book 2) (9 page)

TWELVE

Emma dropped her bag onto the floor and looked around the tiny apartment that would be her home for the foreseeable future. It was clean, tastefully decorated in a nonspecific way, sparsely furnished, and she absolutely hated it. Even through the closed window she could hear the hum of traffic, and from the tiny balcony she had a view of trash cans and the backs of similar apartment blocks.

Deke laid his hand on her cheek and kissed her. “It's not forever.”

“I know.” She tried, and failed, to smile. “And I guess there's nothing like living in a soulless box to motivate me into finding my perfect home.”

“
You really do hate it, don't you.”

“
Yes.” She hadn't expected to be so upset at the prospect of living here, even for a short while. He pulled her into his arms, and she sobbed quietly against his broad chest. “I'm sorry. I'll be fine, I'm just feeling a little tired and overemotional right now.”

“
Hey. You don't have to ever apologize to me. I should be the one saying sorry to you.” He lifted her chin and kissed her. “Beth has invited us to dinner this evening. You want me to call and cancel?”

“
No. I'll be fine, really.” While she didn't really feel like socializing, it was infinitely preferable to spending the evening staring at the dreadful reproductions on the wall. “I'll just take a shower and try to find something to wear that isn't too creased.”

~ oOo ~

Dinner at Beth’s was like nothing Emma had ever experienced before. They had been joined by several other Freaks as well as their old ladies and kids, and, unlike the sedate dinner parties she was used to, this was a raucous affair. The food was simple but plentiful, with many of the old ladies bringing their own contributions. The older kids were involved instead of being hidden away, while the younger ones camped out on airbeds on the living room floor.

Deke touched her hand. “You okay, sweetheart?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. Is it always like this?”

“
This is pretty low key. You should see our parties.” He grinned. “We ain’t what you could call refined.”

She, like many people, had never been comfortable surrounded by strangers, but Beth was a considerate hostess and took time to involve her in conversations. She'd even made sure there was enough meat-free stuff for her to eat, without it drawing attention. Deke was attentive, and everybody made an effort to make her feel welcome. Apart, that was, from Yaz, Bugs' old lady. She wasn’t rude, exactly, but Emma got the distinct impression that she didn’t like her. Whatever it was that her problem was, it didn’t spoil the evening, and again her views of the Freaks shifted. There was so much love in that room that she felt quite overwhelmed.

Despite the laughter, Emma could feel an undercurrent running through the room. It wasn't something she could pin down. Just something about the way Tiny would touch Beth's hand, or how Bonnie would glance up at Wolf. It was as if they felt they wouldn't be all spending evenings like this again for some time.

“
You gonna eat that?” She jolted from her reverie as Spike pointed to the remains of the cherry pie on her plate with his spoon.

“
No, I'm done. You want it?”

“
Yeah. Shame to see it go to waste. It ain't often I get to sample Beth's cooking.” He looked down at her tits and leered. “Though maybe you should eat more. Y'know, fill you out a little.”

Emma felt Deke stiffen, and she laid a hand on his thigh. “Well, it obviously worked for you.”

Spike fell silent for a beat, then grinned and patted his belly. “Touché.” He leaned forward and caught Deke's eye. “I think I like your ol' lady, brother.” He raised his bottle and tilted it towards her. “Welcome to the family, darling.”

~ oOo ~

“Smoke, brother?” Samson pushed his chair back and waited for Spike to follow him outside. Emma may have handled the Bay View sergeant at arms' disrespect with ease, but he wasn't prepared to let this one go.

Once outside he wandered over to the chicken run at the far end of the yard. The girls were locked up for the night, but he could hear them shuffling around and clucking softly inside their coop. He turned as Spike joined him and lit a cigarette. “Think you an' me need to have a little chat, brother.” He pulled himself up to his full height, towering over the shorter man. “That is my woman in there. You disrespect her, you disrespect me. The only reason I ain't pounding your face right now is because this is a family dinner an' Beth has gone to a lot of trouble.”

“Hey, hey. No disrespect intended, man. I was just having a little fun with her.”

“
By commenting on the size of her tits? You'd do that with Vince's ol' lady… With Bonnie? Beth?” Spike didn't answer, and he continued. “No, thought not. In future, you will treat her like you treat the other ol' ladies, cuz if I hear you talking to her like that again, I ain't gonna be so nice an' friendly.”

A movement at the back door caught his eye and, turning, he saw Emma leaning on the door frame. She'd heard every word he'd said and she looked... Pissed. Shit. Plastering a smile on his face, he began to walk towards her. “Hey, baby. Just checking on the girls.”

He knew she was too smart to say anything here, but judging by her expression, once they got home, she was going to let him know, in no uncertain terms, where he'd gone wrong... Again.

She took the cigarette from him and took a long pull. “I'm going to help Beth clean up, then I think I'd like to go home. It's been a long day and I'm pretty tired.”

“Sure, baby girl.” He tucked a stray hair behind her ear. “Just let me know when you’re ready to leave.” He retrieved his smoke and watched as she walked back inside. Yep. Definitely pissed.

~ oOo ~

“I am capable of fighting my own battles, Deke.” Emma pulled her top over her head and dropped it on the chair. Shit. Why did she insist on taking her clothes off every time she was spoiling for a fight? It was impossible to come up with an intelligent response when all the blood had gone to his cock. “It may have escaped your notice, but I am a grown woman.”

“
I know.” He tried to drag his eyes from her beautiful, pert tits. “But Spike should have shown more respect. You're my woman, if I let that disrespect pass it reflects on me.”

“
Oh, so this had nothing to do with my feelings being hurt.”

“
Not fair, Emma. Of course it does. If anyone hurts you, I will tear them limb from limb. But Spike was out of line.” He swallowed as she slid her jeans down those wonderful long legs. “Don't be pissed, baby. I was just taking care of my ol' lady.”

She arched an eyebrow. “So I'm your old lady now?”

He didn't care how pissed she was. Closing the distance between them, he laid his hands on her shoulders. “You know you are.” He grinned as she started to tug at his belt buckle. “You good with that?”

“
Does this mean you're going to keep going all caveman on my ass?”

Picking her up, he crossed the room and dumped her unceremoniously on the bed. “You better believe it, baby.”

~ oOo ~

Emma opened her eyes to the sound of Deke's burner. He was already sitting up. “Yeah?.... Fuck.... Okay..... Okay. Gimme ten.” He stood and grabbed his jeans. “I'm sorry, baby... I gotta go.” He bent and kissed her, then, still pulling his tee shirt over his head, headed for the bathroom.

She closed her eyes and listened to the sound of the front door slamming and his bike firing up. She knew that this was the way it was for him, but calls at 7AM on a Sunday were never good. She sat up and, pulling on one of his tee shirts, wandered into the kitchen. There was no way she was going back to sleep, so she may as well start unpacking her stuff. Hopefully, if she was busy enough, she wouldn't worry too much... Yeah, right.

~ oOo ~

“
Hey baby.” Samson gazed down at the girl lying on the hospital bed. It looked like someone had used her face as a football. “Shit, the fucker really worked you over.”

“
Bad huh?” She opened one eye as he took her hand and sat on the edge of the bed.

“
Nothing that can’t be fixed. Don’t worry, the club will foot the bill. I’ll make sure of it.” He gave her hand a gentle squeeze. “What happened?”

“
I just thought he was a regular john. He picked me up in his car, drove down an alley. There were others waiting for him. They… They… The fuckers raped me, Samson.” She took a shuddering breath. “I’m all tore up inside.”

“
Shit, I’m so sorry, baby. This shouldn’t have happened. What can you tell me about this guy?”

“
He just looked… I dunno, ordinary. He was about forty, I guess, heavyset. Maybe Hispanic. It was kinda dark. His hair was black and he wore a big ring on his left hand. He knew I was connected to the Freaks. He called me a biker whore.”

“
The car?”

“
Black. Big and fancy. European, I think. Maybe a Benz.”

“
Good girl.” He brought her hand up to his lips and gently kissed her fingers. “Is there anything you need?”

“
No, Wolf is taking care of everything. I just want you to get these bastards before they kill someone. The cops aren’t going to do anything. As far as they’re concerned, I’m just a hooker who got a beating, not worth their while.”

“
You know I won’t rest till we got these assholes. You just get well. If there’s anything you want, just call me.”

As he walked towards his bike, Samson could feel his teeth grind together. Lola was a good girl and didn’t deserve this.

He had met her years ago when she’d been stripping in a two-bit dive on the outskirts of town. There was something about her attitude that he’d liked, and he’d hooked her up with Wolf soon after. She was too old to dance now, and only turned tricks occasionally when she needed to subsidize the meager wages she earned in the nearby 7 Eleven. He had promised her that paying protection money to the Freaks would keep her safe, and they had let her down.

The fact that women associated with the club were often targeted would never sit well with him and was one of the reasons why he had always been so reluctant to take an old lady. If anything happened to Emma, he'd never forgive himself.

The clubhouse was practically empty as he stormed across the room to where Wolf was leaning on the bar, drinking a mug of coffee. “How the fuck did this happen? We're supposed to keep eyes on the girls. Who was watching them?”

“I dunno, brother. Barney was supposed to be watching 'em last night. According to the girls, he took off early, an' he ain't picking up his cell.” Wolf shook his head. “That's the third time this month he's gone AWOL.”

“
Anyone been around his place?”

“
Not yet. You want the gig?”

“
Yes I do.”

~ oOo ~

Samson thumped the condo door with his fist. There was no answer, but there were bikes parked down below. “Barney, man, open the door, or I'll kick the fucker in.” There was no response from inside, but the locks offered no defense as he threw his weight against the door.

Barney was lying, fully dressed, on the bed, the tinfoil and lighter next to him confirming Samson's worst fears. Roughly he dragged the smaller man from the bed and shook him awake. “Wake up, asshole.”

Barney opened his eyes and groaned. “What the fuck?”

Samson pushed him back onto the bed and picked up the foil. “You really think the club is gonna be okay with this?”

“It ain't a problem, brother. I got it under control.”

“
Oh it's a problem,
brother
. While you were getting off your tits, Lola was getting the shit kicked out of her. You were supposed to be watching the girls.”

“
I... I was.” Barney stood and staggered towards the bathroom. “They were fine.”

“
No, they weren't. And don't bullshit me. We know you took off early.”

“
Oh c'mon, man. It was dead out there. So some john got a bit rough. She’s just a fucking whore.”

With his hand around his throat, Samson slammed the smaller man against the wall. “That whore was under the protection of the club.” He squeezed and brought his face close. “She is my friend, and she was gang raped on your watch. This is gonna cost you your patch.”

“You gonna take this to Wolf?” Barney gasped as Samson relinquished his grip. “Shit. Okay, I'm sorry, I fucked up. You can't take this to the club. Please, brother.”

“
You don't get to call me brother. You're dead to me, you junkie piece of shit. Just be grateful you're still breathing, cuz if it was left up to me, you'd lose more than your patch.”