Chapter 18
SAYLOR
She watched Karissa and Glitch storm out of the clubhouse, curious as to what the hell was going on. She looked back at the Church room door, then made the decision to follow them. She wasn’t sure if they would want her around, but at the same time, she was sitting here alone, and she’d rather try to help somehow.
When she got outside, she saw them walking up the road toward the inner part of the compound, where some of the outbuildings and the warehouse stood. “Hold up,” she called, hurrying after them. They stopped and turned to look at her, their piqued expressions softening when they caught sight of her. She stopped when she reached them and said drily, “Whose ass are we kicking? Because I need to know who to call dibs on. I almost want to say Savage, but that might be too predictable. He’d see it coming.”
Glitch and Karissa both gave a rueful laugh, but there was a rawness to the sound that Saylor felt deep in her gut. “At this point it would be all of them,” Karissa said with a rictus grin. “Savage is definitely top of the list for us, though you’re right, he would see that coming.”
“I assume it has something to do with why the kid at the bar tried to stop you from going in?” Saylor asked. She had just come down from Jax’s room after cleaning it up, to find Karissa and Glitch arguing with the Prospect behind the bar. He was about to come around to stop them, but they completely ignored him and went into Church anyway, shutting the door behind them. The kid looked equal parts pissed and terrified, and quickly left the clubhouse.
Glitch and Karissa exchanged a look before they regarded her seriously. “It does, but we can’t tell you anything if you aren’t planning on sticking around,” Glitch told her briskly. “Us telling you anything that was said in that room is technically against the rules, but considering how the rules aren’t always followed around here, we’d make an exception if you’re planning on staying.” They stared at her expectantly, expecting an answer.
Saylor hesitated. While she was waiting for everyone to get out of Church, she pondered things. While she was cleaning up Jax’s room, thoughts of what it would mean if she stayed filled her mind. Which was crazy, because why the hell was she even considering making such a huge commitment to a man she barely knew? Was she feeling sorry for him because of his story? Or was she getting distracted by great sex? How could any of that be enough to consider uprooting her entire life?
Yet, the more her thoughts swirled, the more the thought of leaving panicked her. It was like her brain was trying to push her toward it, even if the rest of her wasn’t convinced. If she was honest with herself, she liked the community the club created, despite their attitudes being stuck in the fifties. They loved their families and friends, and they jumped to help her instantly, even when she pushed back or tried to refuse. She had something like that with Mater and the guys at the gym, but not like this.
“I’m considering it,” she finally admitted. “I’m a bit nervous. I mean, I barely know any of you, and with everything going on, I wonder if I’m just wishing for something that might not be the right fit.”
Both Karissa and Glitch nodded, understanding. “This group isn’t even close to being considered normal,” Karissa agreed. “I watched it from the outside when Fury and Esme were doing their little dance around each other, but here they are now, expecting their first baby together. I think it depends on what you want out of your life. But the biggest thing to remember is that while the women and the family come with it, it’s the man you’re going to have to live with. So if you have any doubts about Jax, you need to be willing to walk away. The rest of us will always welcome you back and keep in touch, but the one thing that keeps us all tied here is the men. Without them, there is no community.”
Saylor sighed. “I worry that I’m rushing things, but I like Jax. I think he and I could be something in any other circumstances. But right now is high stress, which means we could just be amplifying things that we’re not really feeling.”
“‘Fraid to tell you, but that’s how most of us ended up here,” Glitch drawled. “Savage and Royal were searching for her twin sister who was trying to take their son, Esme was on the run from her ex, Scarlett and the girls were running from their own demons, Karissa was dealing with her psycho former foster sister, and I was hunting a high school acquaintance that wanted to get revenge for shit from a long time ago. It was high pressure, high stress, and we all figured our way through it and ended up with our men. Personally, I think stress and high pressure situations show the real you, and how much you can truly handle, and what kind of person the other is too. People in those kinds of situations are either assholes or supportive. Jax strikes me as the latter.”
“Not that we’re trying to convince you of anything,” Karissa added with a wry smile, “but you do have the benefit of your job being remote. You can do it from anywhere, if you decide to stay and give him a chance when things have settled down.”
It was a thought that had been at the forefront of her mind. She nodded. “You’re right, but it’s not just me that needs to decide. It would be up to Jax, too.”
Karissa snorted. “Trust me, you don’t have anything to worry about on that front. If Jax didn’t want you, you wouldn’t have been in his room, and he wouldn’t have kissed you the way he did in front of everyone earlier today.”
“That means that choice is up to you,” Glitch finished.
Saylor nodded. She supposed it was. But still, that was something she was going to have to ponder later. She brought them back to the topic at hand. “Does that mean you’re going to tell me why you’re both upset, or should I follow along quietly? I’m good with either.”
Karissa and Glitch sobered. They glanced at each other and then jerked their chins as they turned and headed further along the road that led deeper into the property. Saylor trailed behind, curious as to where they were heading. After a few more minutes, the pavement turned to gravel, and they wound along a dirt path that seemed to snake into the trees toward the fence.
When they finally stopped, they were just inside the treeline, but Saylor could make out a chain-link fence that seemed to stretch all the way in both directions. She had a feeling its purpose wasn’t to keep people in, but rather to keep them out. “We need to get away from everyone. If you want to do that, staying around the clubhouse is a bad idea,” Karissa explained as she leaned against the fence.
Saylor glanced around. “You don’t worry about someone climbing over to take you?” she couldn’t help but question.
Both women chuckled. “This is the part where we tell you some things that you need to keep to yourself,” Glitch informed her. “You seem trustworthy, but this is the kind of shit that if it gets around, we’ll have to find you and kill you.”
Saylor first thought she was joking, but one look at their faces told her they were both completely serious. She nodded. “I won’t say anything,” she promised. “Want a signature in blood to prove it?”
Karissa and Glitch chuckled. “Nah,” Karissa drawled. “We’ll take you at your word. But just so we’re clear, if you ever broke that promise, we could find you extremely easily. The people after you are amateurs.” Saylor arched a brow but nodded. “The reason we can do that, is because Glitch and I, and the Predators MC, are a former mercenary team that unofficially worked for the government. We were the people who did the dirty work the government couldn’t be associated with.”
Saylor stared at them both. Okay, so she figured they were involved in some serious shit, but she would never have guessed anything like that. “So, what you’re saying is, not only can you kick my ass, you could chop me up into little pieces and send me back in boxes, like in the movies?”
Glitch sputtered out a laugh. “Yeah, I suppose so, but that sounds like a lot of work. I’d probably just snap your neck and drop your ass in the closest deep body of water where you’ll never be found. You’ll be shark bait.”
“But you’re not part of that anymore?” Saylor asked curiously.
“No,” Karissa answered. “We officially left. Glitch stayed with the team, and I branched out on my own. I liked to wander and stay busy, and like we said, I had a problem with a former foster sister that killed people to taunt me. But that’s a story for another time. Anyway, our team created the Predators MC and we’re members of it. Glitch is our security guru and hacker extraordinaire who can find anything and anyone when she sets her mind to it.”
“Alright. So what does that have to do with why you’re so unhappy?”
“Because despite being members of that MC, we have been relegated to the roles of Old Ladies unless the Predators men step foot on this club’s grounds,” Glitch replied bitterly. “That meeting today? We weren’t informed it was happening. They went in and shut the door and forgot all about us. It’s a slap in the face of what it means to be part of the team, and we’re done with it. So now we’re trying to decide what to do. I have half a mind to get in a car and drive away for a few weeks. Let them handle shit on their own.” Karissa nodded her agreement.
“Something tells me they’d just chase you down,” Saylor chuckled.
Glitch and Karissa shared a look. “They could try,” Glitch smirked. “Being a hacker has its advantages. I’m one of the best. They wouldn’t find us until I let them.”
“That’s how you figured out who’s after me, right?”
Glitch nodded. “Facial recognition software helps. Honestly, you landed in one of the safest places in the country. You have the club, us, and the Predators are stepping up to keep you safe. Those bastards might think they can get to you, but they’re in for a surprise.”
“It’s you who will be surprised, bitch,” a voice sneered from only a few feet away. Saylor spun to stare as Leon stepped out from behind a tree near the fence line. In his hand was a gun, and it was pointed straight at her. His face was twisted with malice.
Saylor wasn’t afraid. Leon wouldn’t shoot her. Not without that book. Fuck, she wished she just left that book behind; then none of this would be happening. “Leon,” she said calmly. “Back for some more humiliation? I thought for sure that the last punch to the face would have been enough, but then, I was literally naked in front of you with another man’s fingers deep inside me, and you still missed your shot. You really are a glutton for punishment, aren’t you?”
Leon’s face flushed with anger. “I’m going to enjoy making you pay for everything you did,” he hissed at her, stepping forward. “But first, where is the book?”
“See, this is why I just can’t believe you,” Saylor huffed, though she noticed out of the corner of her eye that both Glitch and Karissa were getting ready to move. It was subtle, just a slight shifting, but noticeable enough that she knew they were waiting for the right moment to strike. She just needed to keep Leon’s focus. “You really expect me to believe that you’re going to make me pay for what I did, when I took you down with one punch, and you can’t shoot worth a damn?”
His face turned even redder, and she knew she was playing with fire by pushing him. Especially when his grip on the gun tightened, and he drew it up to point it at her head. She held his stare, unflinching. Leon licked his lips and spat out, “You got a lucky hit. I should have killed you that night instead of stopping. Now, I’m not going to ask again. Where is the book?” His finger tightened on the trigger, and she braced herself to jump. She had to hope that his aim was just as terrible at close range.
Before she answered, Karissa sprang into action, but not fast enough - Leon whipped his gun around and fired. Saylor’s heart sank when she heard Karissa’s cry of pain, and then she watched as she crumpled and fell. Glitch made an angry sound as she launched herself at Leon, and Saylor rushed forward, even as Glitch tried to take Leon down. Unfortunately for her, Leon must have expected that because he brought his gun down hard on her head, and she slumped to the ground with a grunt of pain, unconscious.
Saylor’s stomach dropped. Fuck. Please let them both be okay. She didn’t dare move any closer. She had to figure out how to lure Leon back toward the clubhouse, where she could grab one of the MC members to help. That was all she needed. Then she could help Karissa and Glitch. Leon turned on her, and his eyes were wild, feral. “The book!” he screamed.
“I don’t have it,” Saylor told him honestly, and as calmly as she could. She didn’t want him to realize how scared she was. She wouldn’t let him have that satisfaction.
“Don’t you fucking lie to me, you fucking whore,” he screamed, advancing toward her. She backed up, careful to keep some distance between them. She didn’t want him shooting her in the back when she ran, but if she could get close enough to another tree, she might be able to duck behind it and run before he could fire again.
“I’m not lying,” she tossed back, glaring at him as she retreated by one more step. “The MC guys took it. Why do you think they’ve been helping me? They know all about whatever shit you’ve gotten yourself into.”
Leon let out a snarl that belonged to a wild animal, and she was sure he was teetering on the edge of his sanity. Which made him even more dangerous. Fuck. She needed to get out of here. She had to get back to the clubhouse, but at the same time, keep him far away from Karissa and Glitch in case he tried to kill them before he followed her. She wouldn’t put it past him.
Finally, Leon hissed, “You’re going to get it back for me.” He turned his aim toward the two downed women, but never pulled his gaze from her. “Or I’ll kill them now, and there will be two less whores to worry about in this world.”
“Fine,” Saylor replied. “But you leave them the hell alone.”
“You’re not in any position to be making bargains, Saylor,” Leon taunted as he waved the gun. “Start walking before I change my mind.” She continued to draw away, keeping her gaze on him and never turning her back. She had to use her senses to keep from tripping, but she was not going to give him an inch. “Turn the fuck around,” Leon barked at her.
“So you can shoot me in the back? No fucking way,” she scoffed. “Despite what you think, Leon, I’m not stupid.”
“You were stupid enough to think you could get away from me,” Leon reminded her, a smug look transforming his face. “And look where you ended up? A biker’s whore, and at my mercy. Just like I knew you would be.”
“You knew I would be a biker whore?” she asked, arching a brow. “Wow. I had no idea you moonlighted as a psychic, Leon. Tell me, did your premonition include me getting railed by one of the best dicks I’ve ever had? In your vision, did you see all the ways he brought me to orgasm? If you really were psychic, you might have learned a thing or two. You know, about how to actually please a woman.” Just a little farther…
Leon’s face reddened to the point that she was surprised he could still hold the gun steady. It was a cheap shot, but she didn’t care. “You fucking liar,” he seethed. “You liked every second I spent with you. You were screaming my name?—”
“I never once screamed with you,” she corrected him with a scoff. “Of that, I am one thousand percent sure. Leon, sex with you only lasted for a couple of pumps. The one time we were together, I had to take care of myself, because you couldn’t even get me aroused. I was dry as a desert, and you never lasted long enough to notice. You might want to start consulting your visions, or, hell, watch some porn. Might give you some ideas for the next poor girl that gives you a shot. Or guy. Whatever floats your boat.”
Almost there.