Page 23 of Talon (Road Rebels MC 2)
Snake through a punch to my gut that almost knocked the wind out of me. He reared back and poised himself, ready to throw another punch. But I grabbed his wrist and twisted it around before locking his arm behind him.
“Fucking hell, you two,” Hawk said.
I felt Hawk’s arms wrap around my body. Instinctively, I threw my elbow back, clocking him right in the nose. Snake came up with his head and knocked me right in the shoulder, sending a massive pain streaking down my arm. It was enough for him to get out from underneath my grasp, but before he could launch at me, Mac threaded his arm around Snake’s chest.
I balled up my fists in order to clock Snake right between his beady fucking eyes when a voice pierced the throbbing red of my anger.
“Stop it now!”
The red slowly began to fade while Snake finally got his legs underneath him. My ribcage hurt and my jaw was sore, and all I wanted to do was tear into this man. He punched me in my face, then pushing aside his only fucking sister to the ground just to get to me. He didn’t give a shit about what happened to us or whether we fucked or not.
All he cared about was proving his cock was bigger than mine.
And I knew damn good and well it wasn’t.
I looked over at Gemma, whose hands were bleeding. In an instant, my body unlocked, and I rushed over to her. I grabbed her wrists and turned them upwards before I shot Snake a dagger-laced glance, then I wrapped my arm around Gemma.
“Why don’t we get you to the bathroom?” I asked. “I’ll clean you up there.”
“You won’t fucking take her anywhere,” Snake said, growling.
“Well, had you not shoved your own sister to the damn ground, I wouldn’t have to,” I said.
I took her back into the bathroom, and I could feel her trembling. I closed the door behind us and locked it, just to make sure no one could interrupt us, then I started running some warm water before I washed my own hands.
We stood there in silence for what seemed like ages. I dried off my hands before I reached for the first aid kit, then quietly Gemma began to run her hands underneath the water. I could see her wincing while she did so, her hands red and swelling. I swallowed down the urge to go pummel Snake’s fucking head in and decided instead to start running an alcohol wipe over the hurt area.
Gemma hissed in pain while tears rose to her eyes, but if she wanted to say something she didn’t make a move to.
When I knew I had her good and cleaned off, I took out some gauze. I covered it in some salve that would prevent it from getting infected, then I placed it on her hand. It had a cooling effect that made her sigh with relief, and I couldn’t help the little grin that crossed my cheeks.
And when she looked up at me with those big blue eyes, she grinned as well.
“How do your hands feel?” I asked.
“Better now. Thank you,” she said.
“I’m sorry. For the fighting,” I said.
“Is that all you’re sorry for?”
I looked deep into her eyes and saw the hurt I’d caused this morning. The betrayal that was swimming behind them. It never occurred to me that Gemma could equate a woman standing on my porch with me lying to her, but when I thought back to what Calista was wearing it made sense. My cut thrown over her shoulders. The red high heels. The blood red lips. The tight dress that left almost nothing to the imagination.
The comment Calista made to her while she pushed past me…
“No, it’s not,” I said as I wrapped the gauze with tape.
I could feel Gemma’s eyes on me. I could feel her pleading with me to continue. I kept my eyes trained on her hands, my mind wanting to make sure that gauze was secure before we left. I was shocked no one was trying to bother us, including her bullshit brother, but I assumed Mac probably had him in a corner somewhere trying to breathe.
I brought Gemma’s hands to my lips to kiss once I was done, and immediately she pressed her body into mine. She threaded her arms around me and placed her cheek against my shoulder. I could feel her breath pulsing in the crook of my neck while her hair billowed down her body. In an instant, my arms were around her. Cloaking her from the sadness and anger that had permeated our morning.
I started running my fingertips through her hair, feeling her nuzzle into me, and I smiled before I kissed the top of her head.
“What you saw this morning wasn’t what you thought it was,” I said.
I felt her arms tighten around me, but she didn’t make an effort to step back.
“That woman’s name was Calista. She’s the wife of the President of the Devil Saints,” I said.
“Wait… I know that name,” she said.
She stepped away from me and looked up, and everything inside of me screamed not to pull her back. Right now, it wasn’t about controlling her. It wasn’t about giving her commands or knowing what was good for her. Right now, I wanted her to feel as if she was free to do and react the way she felt necessary.
Though I hoped that reaction wouldn’t be to run.
“I can’t tell you much more than that,” I said.
“Jace mentioned something about you being in trouble,” she said.
“It’s not me that’s in trouble. It’s… Gemma, please trust me when I tell you that the less you know, the better,” I said.
“Then why did this woman show up at your place this morning?” she asked. “You know… dressed like she was. And wearing your cut.”
“I’ve been using Calista for information. Willingly, on her part. She knew the arrangement from the very beginning.”
“Why?” she asked.
“It… is really long and involved,” I said, sighing.
“Then give me the short version,” she said.
Was there a short version to all this? How in the world was I supposed to tell her everything from the beginning without leaving pertinent information out? If I gave her the short version, she’d have more questions. But if I gave her the long version, she’d become a risk. A valued asset The Devil Saints could prey on.
And that wasn’t gonna fucking happen.
“Gemma, I swear to you when this is all over, I’ll start from the very beginning. Going back six, seven years if you want me to. But right now, all I can do is tell you what I can. Part of me wants to inform you, and all of me wants to keep you safe,” I said.
Her eyes swam within mine, trying to figure out if I was telling the truth. I reached out for her hand, and she let me take it, but she was still putting distance between the two of us. And I couldn’t blame her. After what we shared last night and what we’d both revealed to one another, her heart was on the line. The dreams I knew she’d had all through college were on the line.
Her own self-worth was on the line.
“Calista was wearing my cut because she turned up
scantily clad and she was cold. Nothing else,” I said.
“Why was she dressed like that in the first place?” Gemma asked.
“Because the Devil Saints have forced some of their women to prostitute for money for the club and run their drugs,” I said.
Her eyes grew wide, and her jaw grew lax. I saw tears rise in her eyes and I hugged her back into my arms. She didn’t wrap them around me… but instead pressed her hands into my chest.
Then I felt her cling to the leather of my cut before she pulled me even closer to her.
“Why would they do something like that?” she asked breathlessly.
“I don’t know, Gemma. I honestly don’t,” I said. “But I promised her and her daughter freedom in exchange for feeding me information. The problem was, I had to look like a neutral paying customer to do it.”
I felt her brace at that comment, but she deserved to know the truth.
“I met with Calista the night before last and cut things off with her. I told her it was too dangerous and that us getting together was going to blow everything,” I said.
“So… you guys weren’t… a thing…”
“Not even a little bit. She came by this morning to feed me more info I needed to know. Shit went down hard at their compound last night, and she wanted to inform me of a threat that had popped up,” I said.
“What threat?” she asked.
I crooked my finger up underneath her chin and tilted her gaze towards mine. Her eyes were wide with innocence even though I knew the things she was capable of begging for in bed. I watched her eyes flicker down to my lips, just for a millisecond to take them in. I felt a sort of pride well in my chest before my face descended to hers, then I captured those plump little lips with mine.
She tasted just as sweet as she had last night, and it took every ounce of reserve I had not to strip her down, pin her to a wall, and fuck her senseless.
“Calista never meant anything to me. Ever,” I said into her lips.
