Chapter 17
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
BECK
Iwoke up to the most gorgeous sight. Taryn had her face turned up toward mine. Dark lashes brushed her cheeks, and slight snores came from between her plump lips.
I’d like to get my mouth on the other set of lips in her possession. I’d make sure my evil queen was completely satisfied and under my spell.
Her hair smelled of coconut and a hint of smoke. It amazed me that after everything we’d been through, she still smelled like heaven. We’d cleaned up as best we could in the small bathroom, but it hadn’t helped much.
Days of traveling and fighting did that to you.
We were in a shit situation, but I was the happiest I’d been for a while. This smart, tough girl was fast becoming an obsession for me.
And that was never good.
I knew myself well; when I became interested in something, I tended to hold on tight. I’d always found Taryn appealing, but decided it was best to keep my distance because of our differences.
I no longer gave a shit about any of that.
We were in a bad situation, but I knew that with my help, Taryn would come up with a way to get us out of here. Not that I couldn’t figure it out on my own, but I wanted to see what she would come up with. Her mind fascinated me.
I felt her shift before I heard the boots outside the door.
“You’re staring,” she murmured without opening her eyes.
“Always,” I whispered.
She huffed softly.
The lock scraped back, and the door swung open suddenly.
Big George filled the doorway first.
Six foot five of gut and grease with tattoos that had faded into a blue blur. He probably had them done in prison. His eyes slid straight past me to her, slow and deliberate.
“Well, look at that,” he wiped at his nose. “Sleeping beauty’s awake.”
Dumb fuck, anyone with a brain could see that she was so much more than that ridiculous character. She’d never be caught sleeping while someone else dealt with her problems. Taryn was much more likely to be the cause of the shit.
I shifted, blocking his view without making it obvious.
George grinned. He liked that.
Fucking tool.
If this were normal circumstances, I’d beat him until his brains came out of his ears.
Bubba and Red stepped around him. Bubba looked like he always did—mean and thick through the neck, jaw tight like he chewed nails for breakfast. He hated my father, and because of that, he hated me too.
But there were dark circles under his eyes, and that cough was worrying.
Red looked wrong.
Yesterday, he wasn't too terrible, but it seemed like he suddenly worsened overnight. His skin appeared gray under the fluorescent lighting. Sweat covered his temples, even though the room wasn’t warm. His eyes lacked clarity and didn’t focus as they normally would.
“You ready to get that ass kicked?” Bubba got out right before he started coughing so badly, I thought he’d hack up a lung.
“Depends,” I smirked. “You putting money up?”
George laughed.
Red didn’t.
I wasn’t sure if he was even aware who was in the room with him.
His jaw clicked once.
Taryn went still beside me.
“Prez wants the fight clean,” Bubba wiped at his eyes. “No fucking around. You go down in the third. Make it look good.”
I didn’t answer because fuck him.
I sat up, pulling Taryn with me.
George came closer to the cot, eyes dragging over Taryn in a way that made something hot and ugly settle under my ribs.
“She can watch,” he licked his lips. “Seeing you get your ass kicked may put her in the mood for a real man.”
Taryn smiled at him.
It wasn’t friendly.
“I think your time on earth as a man may be coming to an end.” She yawned as if his presence was beneath her.
Damn, I needed to dick this queen down.
George blinked in confusion. “Oh yeah?”
The guy was full of witty banter.
Her eyes flicked past him to Red.
“Yeah,” she smirked.
Red swayed. Just the tiniest bit.
Bubba grabbed his arm. “You good?”
Red nodded too fast, making his teeth click together again.
“Fucking fine,” he muttered, jerking his arm free. “It’s just allergies.”
I laughed, “Definitely allergies.”
Red glared, “I wouldn’t be laughing if I were in your shoes.”
Taryn squeezed my leg.
I didn’t look at her, but shut my mouth. She was right, there was no point in antagonizing the walking dead.
George stepped back. “We’ll be back shortly. The Prez wants to meet with you again.”
The three stooges shuffled through the door, and I heard the lock slide into place.
I turned my head slightly toward her. “You wanna share with the class just what that mind of yours has come up with?”
“Not yet,” she stood and headed to the bathroom, pausing before she went in. “They’re already sick, as are several others I saw on the way in.”
"Yep," I agreed cheerfully.
Taryn narrowed her eyes, “Do you think they’ve informed the Prez of the things that are going on?”
I grinned. “Not if it would put their ass in jeopardy. I’d bet they’ve been partying in here for a few days, so those three might be the only ones who’ve seen anything strange.”
Her smile was slow and filled with malice.
I felt my dick pulse in my pants.
“Then that’s the key to us getting the hell out of here.” She strolled into the bathroom and shut the door behind her.
And for the first time since we’d been dragged in here, I felt something shift. And it seemed strangely like excitement.
We were brought something to eat a little later on.
“For filthy bikers, the food is good,” Taryn mumbled with her mouth full.
“Us filthy bikers like a good meal.” I grinned, not put off by her words in the least.
She laughed, “No insult intended.”
“None taken, Fox.” I winked, “You’re going to love this filthy biker as soon as you let me between those long legs.”
Taryn choked, and I chuckled as I mopped up the last of my meal with a piece of toast.
Suddenly, the lock scraped, and the door swung open hard enough to hit the concrete wall. Big George filled the doorway. Bubba stood behind him, but Red was nowhere to be seen.
That wasn’t good.
“The Prez is waiting,” George motioned for me to step out of the room.
Taryn remained sitting and kept eating. I stood and moved beside her.
“She comes with me,” I growled.
George smiled like he’d been waiting for me to say that. “Nah. I don’t think so.”
Bubba coughed, wet and hard. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.
I saw a smear of something darker than spit.
Taryn stood slowly, brushing imaginary dust from her skirt. She was calm and collected, almost too much so.
“Beck,” she murmured.
I didn’t take my eyes off the two threats in the room.
“If she’s not at the fight,” I gritted my teeth. “I won’t throw it.”
George laughed. “As if you have a fucking choice.”
I stepped into him, chest to chest.
“I’ll make sure you’re not breathing for much longer if she’s not in that room.”
Bubba shoved my shoulder.
I turned and slammed him into the wall hard enough to rattle the bulb overhead.
He swung wildly.
I caught his wrist and bent it until his knees dipped.
“Don’t fuck with me.” I stared into his wild gaze.
George grabbed my collar.
Taryn’s voice cut through the room. “That’s enough.”
We all paused at the command in her voice.
“I’ll be fine here until you get back.” Taryn laid her hand on my arm.
George’s eyes dropped down her body in a way that made my blood go hot. “I can stay here and keep an eye on her.”
I lunged.
Two of them hit me at once, driving me back into the cot.
Taryn didn’t scream or panic; she just watched us… calculating.
I forced myself still.
George gave me a last shove, then straightened his cut. “I was only fucking with you. We meet the Prez, then she gets brought over after.”
“No,” I snapped.
“Yes,” he growled.
Bubba coughed again. Harder this time. He blinked too slowly when he straightened.
George didn’t notice.
Taryn gave me a look.
“Ten minutes,” I stared at Bubba. “Then she comes.”
He paused for a few minutes, then nodded.
I suspected they were given strict orders about Taryn because they knew they had no leverage over me without her.
“Fine.” They hauled me toward the door.
I locked eyes with her. “You good, Fox?”
She tilted her head slightly. “Always.”
Before the door shut behind me, I saw Taryn wink.
As we walked down the hallway in the direction of the office. I saw several more people who were sick. This was going to go downhill sooner rather than later.
“Looking good, Beck,” Biddy’s eyes filled with heat as she watched me walk by.
I’d slept with her a couple of times while the treaty these fucks had broken was being negotiated. She wanted to be someone’s old lady badly enough that she didn’t care if it was with a rival gang. At the time, I’d had zero interest in settling down.
Things were a little different now.
Imagining Taryn in a cut with my name on it made my heart beat faster. I’d make it happen or die trying. I needed to tie that girl down before someone else did.
The office was dim and stale.
Prez sat behind his desk like this was a board meeting and not a fucking biker clubhouse.
“She’ll be brought ringside, or I won’t throw shit,” I said immediately before he could get a word out.
“You don’t make the rules here, boy.” He smirked. “Maybe, I’ll let Big George keep her company in the room.”
The desk flipped over.
I didn’t remember deciding to do it.
I was just across it and straddling him before I knew it.
George grabbed me from behind, and he and Bubba lifted me off him.
The prez shoved to his feet, breathing hard. “If I didn’t need the money, I’d slit your throat now and shove my dick in your girl’s ass so fast she’d get blisters.”
“Fuck you,” I was breathing hard, my rage out of control.
“The bitch will be ringside,” he said flatly. “You go down in the third. Clean. Dramatic. And we collect.”
“Then you let us go?” I knew anything out of his mouth was going to be a lie.
He smirked. “Absolutely.”
“Does Parker know I’m throwing the fight?” Parker was a shit, but I knew he’d want to win fair and square.
Prez smiled. “He don’t need to know.”
Behind me, Bubba coughed again. This time, he bent at the waist.
The Prez’s eyes flicked toward him, irritated. “You sick?”
“I’m fine,” Bubba muttered, staring me down.
I knew he was warning me not to mention the things we’d seen on the outside. The only reason I didn’t was that it wasn’t in my or Taryn’s best interest.
Prez turned his attention back to me. “She sits in the front row. You behave.”
I nodded in agreement.
These morons thought she was a victim. They had no idea she was the most dangerous thing in the building.