Wrath (17 page)

Aidan

“You ready to go, baby?”  I asked as I watched her walk out of the Cat House.  Her curves swayed just slightly with each step she took.  It always struck me how lucky I was that she preferred to work the bar than the pole.  After last time, I’d’ve had a coronary if I’d had to watch a bunch of dumb-fucks ogle her.

I wasn’t the calmest man about that kind of thing.  Hell, the last time I’d gone in the club I’d gotten her in trouble.  I mean, it was inevitable: boyfriend comes in and beats the hell out of any guy who looks at his girl.  But what the hell?  What kind of man let someone treat his woman like that?

I never doubted for a second that he was a piece of shit, either.  Emma might tease me, but she didn’t play games with the customers.

I knew better than to spit on the strippers.  Under all their curves, smiles and scowls, they were a tougher lot than most people gave the credit for.  But Emma wasn’t a stripper.  She wanted to earn her money another way, and I was damn well going to make sure those other shits respected her wishes on that. 

Having a girlfriend that worked at the local strip club, dancer or not, was a recipe for trouble.  It was a good thing I had Fire and Steel backing my ass up.  And it was a good thing Kat liked me.

So this time I just waited for her.  She had gotten out early tonight.  It was just going on quarter to eleven when she called and let me know to come and get her

Early shift, Sandy had come to relieve her.  Something like that.  I didn’t fucking know. 

These days I only understood two things: that I needed her to be safe, and that as soon as I heard her voice on the phone my dick got hard.  I’d had to put up with a rager the whole ride to the club.

Something about all this stress was giving me a constant hard on for her these days.  I’d probably pay for it later, but I didn’t care.  That would be later – after that son of a bitch, Samuel, had been dealt with.

Emma seemed to be in a mood tonight, her voice a little sharper.  “Yeah, baby.  I’m ready to get the fuck out of here.” 

Well, she wasn’t mad at me.  That was all that mattered.

“Anyone give you any trouble tonight?” 

Some of the tension loosened in her face and she sighed.  “No, nothing like that, Aidan.  Nothing like that.  I just, I wanna go home now.”  Emma ran her hands up my chest and wound them up around my neck.

It wasn’t like her.  I knew something was bugging her, but fuck, it didn’t seem serious.  My goddamn balls were turning blue, having to behave with her pressed up against my body like that.

I might be stronger, and Emma knew better than to give me orders, but she had damn well trained my body to react to her.  She had trained it a little too well. 

When her head tilted up at me, I gave her a wry smile.

“How about I take you home?  Show you how much I’ve been thinking of you.” 

When that wicked little grin twitched across her lips, I took her hand and pushed it down to my hard cock, making it clear how much I wanted her. 

She laughed, a bright, triumphant sound that told me we’d be fucking all right.  The only question was whether to bend her over my bike and take her right there or wait until we were alone.

She ran her fingers through my hair.  “So, you wanna take me back to your place, or what?”

“You got it, darlin’.” 

When I fired up my bike, she hopped on, kissing the nape of my neck under the lip of my helmet.

I was wearing a fucking helmet for this woman.  I really was going crazy for her.

We zipped through the streets of Braddock, up 2nd and around to Comrie.  I didn’t care much about the view.  I was too busy trying to get us back to the club house. 

When we pulled into the parking lot and hopped off, we were tripping over one another in our hurry to get inside.  I had to catch her once and she steadied me a moment later when I tripped.  I’d never been this clumsy in my life.  But then, I’d never felt this high. 

All this, over a woman.

Whether I agreed with it or not, I was starting to understand why men looked down on women – because we were terrified of the hold they had over us.

I was determined not to let this feeling turn me into a jackass.  I knew Emma well enough now to recognize I would lose her if I tried to control or put her down.  Never mind why.  She would walk away.

Better to face the terror and rise above it.  Better to prove my strength in a way that kept us together.

As she pressed her body around me on the bike, my dick agreed.

There were a shit ton of bikes at the clubhouse, and I guessed that just about everyone was hanging out at the club bar.  That was the Saturday night norm.  Booze was cheaper then, and there were no damn weekend warriors or stupid motherfuckers trying to edge their way into the club.  We could all relax and have a drink or two.

“You wanna stop in for a drink with the guys?”  Emma asked, pulling me towards the front door.

“No, baby, I wanna take you in the back way, get inside you.”  I grinned and pulled her up against my body, her chest pressed to mine, plump flesh to taut muscle. 

I grunted.  Fuck, I was going to need larger jeans around this woman.  I was hard so much these days, the pinch of my pants was beginning to give me pins and needles below my belt. 

It was insane.  I had to steady myself against the wall, and used it as an excuse to pull her around, pin her, kiss her, bury my free hand in the short curls at the nape of her neck. 

She took me in, her lips sweet as her hands wandered to the lip of my jeans, digging and tugging at the solid fabric. 

She was so damn hot, every bit of her, every curve making me want to grab at her, paw her, and make her mine again and again and again.

“A drink, Aidan,” she gasped, pulling away with a gasp. 

I wanted to howl at her, punch a hole in the wall, laugh in frustration.  I wasn’t sure what I was going to do anymore, but it damn well wasn’t what I wanted to be doing.

Then I noticed the pinch in her brow.  Something was bugging her, distracting her.

“A drink,” I repeated, trying not to sound like an idiot.  With all my blood below my belt, my brain was really struggling to do more than two things at once.

Think, speak or calm the hell down.  My brain was taunting me that I could only pick two.

Luckily, Emma explained her mood, because I didn’t have a clear enough head to figure her out just then. 

“I had a rough night.  I need something to help me let it go.”  She asked me again, pulling me towards the front door of the club.  “We’ll have more fun if I let it go.”

“Sure,” I grunted.  “What’ll do that, you think?”

“Gin and tonic.  With lime,” she said decisively.

“Alright, but seriously, after that, lemme take you to bed.”  It was as close to begging as I was ever going to get.

She seemed to pick up on the edge in my voice, because she looked over her shoulder at me and took my hand, a faint light twinkling in her eye.  “One drink and I’ll let you ravish me properly.”

I let her lead me into the damn club bar, mulling on whether the booze would help or hurt her later.  I wouldn’t let her cry alone, but damn it, I really wasn’t in the mood for talk.  Usually, I appreciated her bluntness, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t an occasional cock-block. 

I pushed the door out of my way and was getting ready to lead Emma to the bar when we both stopped in our tracks.  There were a shit ton of people standing around. 

To my shock I realized they were all waiting for me.

No one yelled surprise.  No one said jack shit, until Rage stepped up.

“Aidan.  We’ve got some shit to discuss.”  He looked so damn serious, almost angry, as he said it.

What?  What the fuck?  Did they know?

“What, man?”

“We need to know if you are prepared to handle the duties and responsibilities that being in the club entails.  Will you do exactly as you are told and follow orders?”

I nodded.  “Yeah, man.  I thought we already went over this.”

Emma held my hand, keeping me grounded, my heartbeat thumping in my ears as nerves started to overwhelm me.  Not now.  Not here.

Emma.  Emma’s hand.  Emma’s touch.  Keeping me cemented to reality.

“We need to know if you can speak for the club, if you can speak up for the good of the club.  If you can put the club first when needed.”

Emma.  Emma would always come first.  Always.  But the club was my family.  The club was part of her.  Putting the club first meant putting her first.

“I can do that, Man.  What is this about?”

“Will you defend the club, with your life if necessary?”

“Do you even need to ask that?” 

“Will you defend the club with your life if necessary?”  Rage repeated.  He didn’t blink.

“Yeah, man.  Of course.”

“Then welcome to Fire and Steel.”  He handed me a vest with a series of patches on it.

Wrath: Fire and Steel. 

My throat got tight and I steeled my jaw.  I wasn’t going to show it, but I hadn’t felt this much pride since I’d gotten my first bar.

The back of the vest was emblazoned with the insignia of Fire and Steel.  A hammer and an anvil surrounded in flame, alone with the text of the club scrolling in a half circle.

The official colors of the club.

They were patching me in.

“Smile, man.”  Thrash came up from behind me and clasped my shoulder.  “You’re one of us now.  A brother.”  He held out his hand.  When I shook it, he pulled me into a loose hug.  “You better not fuck up.  I’m trusting you.”

The rest of the guys shook my hand one by one, and then the entire room let out a howl. 

What I thought was an inquisition was actually a party. 

Well, fuck me.

I spotted Emma behind the bar.  She had swung over the countertop and begun pouring drinks.  I wished she was next to me, but she made up for it, licking her finger and casting me a mischievous wink. 

I laughed, not caring how loud it was or what anyone thought of it.  Damn it, I was
here
.  Emma held up her finger to indicate we wouldn’t stay long, and I grinned wolfishly at her before turning to accept a pat on the back from Mick.

Whatever congratulations he intended to give got lost in the moment though as Layla hurried in.  She looked frazzled and hurriedly explained something to Rage.

He looked over at me, gesturing me over.

“There will be time for this later,” Mick said, pushing me away.  “Go.”

I went.

Rage was not happy.  “Just got the call,” he said.  When he met my eye, I felt the difference, recognized it.  I was cut now. 

“You, Thrash.  Tommy.  And Mick.  Now.”

The raid was on. 

“Kiss your girl goodbye and let’s get moving.”  He pushed passed me to Thrash, and I searched the crowd for Emma.  She was hanging back with Layla, watching me, the drink in her hand forgotten.

Shit wasn’t supposed to go down like this.  She needed to ease into this, not get thrown into it.  I stared at her from across the room.  When our eyes met, I saw that Layla had told her.   I sent a silent thank you to Rage’s woman and hurried over to scoop Emma up in my arms.

“I gotta go, baby,” I managed once we pulled apart.

“Something up?” 

So Layla hadn’t gone into details then.  Good.

“Club stuff,” I said, staying vague.

Emma wasn’t fooled.  “This
is
club stuff.  What the fuck?” 

I knew she wanted an answer but the only one I could give her was my mouth coming down hard on hers.  I bruised those sweet lips as I bent her back against the bar.

I was vaguely aware of a whoop in the background, but it was either hushed or my blood grew too loud in my ears.  Either way, I didn’t give a flying fuck who saw. 

This mission was serious shit.  If it went sideways, this might be the last kiss.

I pulled away and pressed my lips to her knuckles, forced myself to turn away. 

I couldn’t think that way.  We had our orders, and I had a job to do.  I was a good soldier.  I had known the risks when I signed up - hell, I had signed up
because
of risks like these.  I always liked facing down danger, the challenge of it.  That was who I was. 

And as much as I hated walking away from her, I was looking forward to running down a rat.  Cowards could destroy an entire group.  Thieves could cripple it. 

We worked with Strike.  A rat in the midst of his operation was a threat to us. 

We were going to chase it down and throw it down.  And then?

I bared my teeth at the reddening sky.  Well, that fucker would be glad it was Rage who was calling the shots. 

Emma

I couldn’t remember how I got back behind the counter.  Maybe it was the familiarity of it.  Maybe it was the busyness.  Whatever it was, my mind was a blank panic.  The only thing I understood was that Aidan needed to stay here.  Where it was safe.

Club business
.  That was the whole name of the game wasn’t it?  He was always going to have to put the club first.  To leave me every time he got the call.

It would’ve been the same if he was in the military, but somehow this felt so much worse.

Probably because the danger was closer, and I would be there every time, watching him walk away into it.  If he had been overseas, then at least I could’ve numbed myself to it a bit.  But this?

I accidentally broke a glass in my frustration and had to check for blood in the trough. 

“You all right?”  Layla checked me.

“Fine!  I’ll be fine.” 

I grabbed a brush and swept away the glass, struggling with the heavy trash can.  Everything felt harder when I was this upset, even the basic stuff. 

It suddenly hit me that I was going to just have to deal with it.  Just sit here and wait, not knowing who he was fighting or which authorities they were pissing off in the process.

I stood there, my breath gone as I stared at the closed door.  All those leather cuts, leaving in a swarm, maybe never coming back.  Just thinking about it filled me with a very real panic.

Was this the last time I was going to see him?

“You look like you need another drink.” 

Layla leaned over the counter and pulled me a draft, pulling away the brush and pushing the glass into my hands.  It was a smart choice.  A shot would have gotten me trashed fast.  Too fast for the moment.  But a beer?  That would build over time.  It wouldn’t suffocate me in a blind terror.

My hands shook as I took a sip.  “How can you handle this?”  I asked, setting the glass down to keep from dropping it.  “They just take off.  They don’t tell you jack shit.  Aren’t you scared?” 

I tried not to snarl, but god dammit, it was fucking hard.  I wanted to scream at everyone in this place.  It felt claustrophobic, too dark, too much like a cage without Aidan here.

Layla’s eyes were sad, her brows drawn.  “Emma, this is the life.  You take the good and the bad.”

I shook my head automatically and had to force it still. 

I was in shock.

Layla remained patient though, never judging.  She knew just what to say. 

“You get him the way he should be, Emma.  He needs to be working with men he trusts.  You know that sense of security he gives you?” 

I nodded numbly. 

“He was a military man.  Groups like this, we’re his security.”

She was right.  I still didn’t like that I couldn’t make him stay, but she was right that he needed these men.  He needed to belong here.  He needed purpose and the MC gave him that. 

And if I could somehow make him stay?  That would undermine his standing with these men.  They would see him as less.  It would make me feel better but it would ruin him.

This was what he needed.  That was clear.  But could I take it?

Layla didn’t seem to doubt it for a second.  “You know him.  You’ve seen him.  He needs this.  You need to support him.”  Something in me bucked at those words, rebelling without understanding why.

“I – I don’t know.”  I shook my head, trying to push away the fog of confusion, but it was becoming harder and harder to make sense of my own feelings.  I’d barely even touched my beer.

“You do know.  This is a true club.  They don’t do horrible shit, Emma.  They take care of their own.  They take care of Kat, of you.  Come here.” 

Layla pulled me over to the leather couch that was positioned against the wall, next to an installed pool.

It was just like the one at the strip club.  I shuddered.

“It’s going to be a long night.  You can either hang out with me and we can go over your flash cards and talk, or you can go home to your dorm.  But either way he won’t be back for a while, and you know you won’t sleep until he’s back.”

Layla was right.  I wouldn’t be able to rest.  Even if I was scared to death, I still loved Aidan.  I needed him to come home safe.  I wouldn’t be able to stop worrying for him until he did.

I loved him. 

Fuck. 
Love
.  That was the last thing I needed.

I had always thought I could handle anything, and I wasn’t entirely wrong.  On my own, I could endure and grapple through my problems.  But I wasn’t on my own in this.  I was in love, and the man I loved could die any day in this place.

This wasn’t a matter of me simply dealing with it.  This was too big.  And it wasn’t just me anymore.  Now I was part of a ‘we.’

Could I handle ‘us?’ Could I handle being an MC lady?