Trench

 

     Never had I seen a woman make something as mundane as eating a sandwich look so beautiful. When I walked out of the bathroom and saw Tori, the way she sat so comfortably on my bed, my frustrations from the last twenty-four hours started to melt away. She was adorable, eating her sub and drinking a beer like we had been doing this together forever. I wasn’t about to question the way she made me uneasy and hopeful at the same time. I didn’t know enough about her yet. But, I had plans to change that.

     I lost my temper earlier. Not with Tori, though she thought my anger was for her. Her story, the idea of someone hurting her had me acting like an asshole all because I wanted to kill the fucker responsible. I trusted my brothers with my life, but with her life, I felt responsible. That wasn’t on them and I had no explanation. The reason I was growing increasingly agitated.

     I was the President of an outlaw MC. There was no place for soft and gentle in my life, but when I was with this woman, I felt an insistent pull to act differently. To comfort, protect, and listen. I couldn’t be angry with her for going downstairs in search of something to eat. She wasn’t a prisoner for fuck’s sake, but when I came around the corner and saw Deuce pawing at her like every other biker bunny that runs through the club, I saw red. Something primal took over whenever Tori was around and I was pissed that the brothers witnessed me react so possessively. With any other female, I would have shrugged and let the bitch walk. They were a dime a dozen for us. If she was attracted to another one of the brothers, so be it.

     Tori was mine. She didn’t think so yet, but her body told another story. She was attracted to me too. I felt her heat whenever we were close and it was taking every ounce of self-control to deny her what she craved, but she was fragile too. Not in the physical sense, but Preacher had broken his daughter and I had a sinking feeling there was more she wasn’t telling me. It didn’t take a psychologist to figure out why Tori flinched at my outburst or why she was terrified of ending up in Disciple hands again. She’d been abused before and running out on an MC was dangerous. If caught, they wouldn’t kill her first. They would torture her for keeping company with Pandemonium and for any information she could offer.

     I dropped my towel and smirked when I heard her gasp behind me. I wanted to take her over the edge, hear her scream my name while she writhed in pleasure beneath me, but that would have to wait. Trust. I needed to gain her trust first, and more importantly, she needed to earn mine. I pulled the boxer briefs up my legs and sat on the bed beside her, reaching for the second sandwich. She should have told me she was hungry.

     “I don’t want you scared of me.” I eased into the necessary conversation before biting into the bread.

     “What? No, I’m not -,” she started, but I cut her off.

     “Yeah. You are, babe. You’re scared of my brothers too.”

     “Sorry,” her head dropped in defeat. Her apology and submissive behavior drew a growl from me. I pulled her chin up with gentle fingers. She was going to look at me and understand my next words.

     “Don’t do that. The asshole who made you feel like this is the sorry one, not you. Want to tell me who he is? Besides Daddy Dearest, of course.”

     Tori shrugged, took another much smaller bite from her sandwich and chewed slowly. That was okay. I could be patient for her. I’d waited out bigger, more intimidating people before. In fact, I would enjoy gaining her trust. When she offered the last few bites of her sandwich to me, I accepted and watched as Tori balled up the trash and tossed it into the waste basket across the room.

     “Nice shot. Spent a lot of time doing that, huh?” I guessed.

     “Yeah, I suppose. Being held up in a room for days at a time gets kind of boring. You find odd ways to occupy yourself.”

     Held in a room for days at a time? Is she serious? No wonder she wandered out on her own to find food this evening. I wasn’t her jailer.

     “Let me make one thing clear. You’re not a prisoner, Tori. There is a door here and you can use it whenever you like. The same thing goes for the one leading outside, babe. I just want time to make sure the boys have met you first. I can’t have them all reacting like Stryker or Deuce whenever they see you. And they will.” Tori opened her mouth to deny it, but I waved her off. “I’m serious, Tori. I won’t have a club. If you need something, all you have to do is ask. From now on, if I’m not around,” I noticed her body stiffen at my words. Maybe she trusted me a little more than I thought. “Which won’t be often,” I felt the need to add and saw her body relax slightly. “Then Clutch or LoJack will be with you.”

     “I don’t think that’s such a good idea,” her voice dropped slightly. “I mean, I appreciate it, but Clutch is fucking creepy,” she whispered the last part under her breath and I nearly spit beer through my nose. The combination of her assessment of my best friend and those foul words on her sweet lips was golden.

     “Yeah, he has that effect on pretty much everybody, sweetheart, but he’s good people. He’s the closest thing to a blood brother I’ll ever have. It’s his way of being protective. If you’re important to me, then you’re important to him. Whether he admits it or not.” I chuckled through the words, finishing off my sandwich.

     Tori’s cheeks turned a rosy shade of pink and I mentally chastised myself for putting those thoughts in her head. Was she? Important to me? My bruised fists would argue yes, but my brain was not hotwired that way. Considering it was past midnight, and I just met her yesterday, I couldn’t reason or justify why she was getting under my skin so easily.

     “So, what’s his name?” I wiped the last bit of oil from my fingers and tossed the napkin and wadded paper into the basket too. She smiled when I made the shot.

     “Who?”

     “No games, Tori. Who fucked you up so bad that you have blackouts and you’re scared of men?”

     She didn’t hesitate as long this time.

     “His name is Aaron and he used to be my boyfriend.”

     “Used to?”

     “I never wanted any of it, but my choices haven’t been my own for years. Aaron thinks he owns me, said he’ll never let me go,” she paused and a look of pure hatred crossed her face. “He’s wrong about that part.”

     “Good. What does Aaron do for the Disciples?” I needed to know how deep Pandemonium was getting by having Tori here.

     “He’s an Enforcer.”

     “Must be a twisted son-of-a-bitch to carry that rank.”

     “You could say that.” She shrugged. “You got skeletons, Trench?” I nodded in response. That wasn’t news. “Well, next to Preacher, Aaron completes the whole fucking bag of bones in my closet.”

     “I understand bad blood and skeletons, babe, but yours are coming out to play. I bury mine deep enough to keep them from haunting me. I’m ready to bury yours too if I get the chance, but for me to help you, I need to know everything. Feel me?”

     Her eyes undid me. I swear I witnessed the moment she dropped her guard and decided to place some trust in me, like she had accepted a lifeline for the first time. She stared at me for several minutes and finally let go.

***

     My body was strung tight two hours after Tori finished crying on my chest. She finally fell asleep, emotionally spent from sharing. Aaron was a sick fuck who needed a lesson in manners, but he was also a patched-in member of Dante’s Disciples, which meant picking a fight with him was as good as asking for a war with the entire club. Truth be told, I had thrown the gauntlet when I refused to turn Tori over to Castro.

     My phone rang loudly on the dresser and I cursed the unwelcome noise that threatened to disturb her sleep. I couldn’t take another minute watching her sob. I was responsible for a few tears over the years, but never for the shit she had been put through. It pulled at places in my heart that had long since been forgotten.

     “Trench,” I answered, noticing the number was from our front gate and it was three a.m. That was never a good sign. Usually the prospects manning the fence would harass Clutch first. If they were calling me, something was wrong.

     “Sorry to wake you, Pres, but we got ourselves a visitor. Says he knows your girl and he wants to see her.”

     “The fuck? What did you tell him, Probie?”

     “Not a damn thing except he was a stupid motherfucker for coming here. Told him he needed to speak to you.”

     “Good. Anything else?”

     “Yeah. He’s a Disciple.”

     “He came alone?” I asked, hearing the curious surprise that was evident in my own voice.

     “Yep.”

     “Dumb bastard has a death wish. All right, search him for wires and take his weapons. He can have them back if he leaves. I’ll be down in five.” I instructed the prospect, hung up the phone before he could respond, and dialed my VP.

     “Brother, you better be on fucking fire or bleeding out.” Clutch groaned into the receiver.

     “We got company. Meet me downstairs in five.” I hung up on his muttered curse.

     A pissed off and tired Clutch was no one I wanted to meet. A Disciple shows up to our doorstep making demands at three in the morning? Well, this unannounced asshole just committed suicide.

     I dressed quickly and secured my weapon in the back of my waistband. I glanced back at Tori once more and left the room as quietly as possible. I’d never tiptoed around here before. This shit was new for me and I wasn’t entirely sure why I was being so damn accommodating. No other woman had slept in my bed. We fucked each other out of our systems in one of the guest rooms and they left before I not so politely had to ask, but that was the extent of my brief relationships.

     I made it down the stairs just in time for our guest to walk in with the prospect. The stranger had a strong frame and was roughly around my height, but it was his bearded face, dark blond faux hawk, huge gauged ears and extensive colorful tattoos that drew attention to him. Pain clearly wasn’t an issue for him. My jaw ticked when I caught sight of his Disciple vest. It was a foreign object that held no place in my home and I wanted to get rid of the nuisance as soon as possible.

     “Trench,” he greeted with a sly smile and a sense of familiarity that made me hyperaware.

     “And you are?” I came to a stop before he got more than a few feet over the threshold and crossed my arms over my chest.

     “A fucking idiot with no manners,” Clutch chimed in with his sleep raspy voice, flanking my side. “This makes twice today Disciples have come into town without so much as a phone call to say fuck-you. You all too stupid to operate one or did Preach forget to pay the bill?”

     The man chuckled offhandedly at Clutch’s sarcasm, but addressed me. Interesting. Most men clammed up around Clutch. I guess anyone foolish enough to drive up to our home alone in the dead of dawn must have a few screws missing upstairs.

     “Flex, and I’ll just cut to the chase. You’ve got Tori and she has something we need.”

     “Sorry, Flex, but like I told Castro, she isn’t going back to your compound. I’m not in the flesh trading business. She wants to be here, she stays.” I replied.

     Flex smirked. “You seem like a smart man, but so am I. She’s only been missing for four months, which means she isn’t anyone special to you or your club. She’s not worth an MC war, my friend.”

     “We aren’t friends, Flex, and you have no fucking clue what Tori is worth to Pandemonium. This isn’t about Preacher, but she must be pretty damn important to the Disciples if you have enough balls to come into my place and threaten my club with war.”

     I keep my voice even and calm, though my insides feel anything but relaxed. Flex’s jaw ticks so faintly it wouldn’t be noticeable unless you were looking for signs of distress, but it’s there nonetheless and I know I’ve got him spinning wheels.

     “I’m not here to make threats. Preacher can handle that shit himself. I’m the one who let her escape. If Preacher finds out it’ll be my funeral anyway. I just came to warn her. Preacher knows what she did, the files she stole.”

     My eyes darted to Clutch to see if he was hearing this shit too. Did this asshole expect me to believe he would betray his brothers? That didn’t sit right with me. Maybe his conscious was heavy, maybe, like me, he had issues with females being abused, but it seemed more likely that he was playing us for information or a favor. Too bad he wouldn’t be getting either.

     Clutch and I shared another brief look while I considered what Flex was telling me. Tori had knowledge of something big, that much was evident, but Flex wasn’t doing her any favors. He was fishing around to see how much I knew, how much Tori had leaked to Pandemonium, so he could report back to Preacher.

     “I’m aware,” I lied to watch Flex’s reaction.

     “Well, that changes things, doesn’t it? The bitch is resourceful. I’ll give her that.”

     My hands flexed reflexively, ready to strike out against the man who stood before me and ran her name through the mud.

     “It would seem she is. That kind of shit could bring down enough heat to wipe out the entire club and most of your associates, and you’re the one that let her get away?”

     Clutch released a low whistle beside me before laughing. “I guess it fuckin’ sucks to be you right now.”

     “Preacher will start a war over her and you’ll be left picking up the pieces for something that could’ve been avoided.” Flex’s eyes narrowed on me, but I didn’t take the bait.

     “I figured as much. What I can’t understand is what’s in it for you? Unrequited love, maybe?” I couldn’t reason with myself why I cared if Tori belonged to this degenerate Disciple, but the green-eyed devil knew.

     Flex smirked and I wanted to knock the damn grin off his smug face.

     “You’ve got nothing to worry about with me. She and I, - let’s just say we have mutual interests.” Flex cracked his inked-up neck from side to side as he studied me for a beat. “I take it you’ll be her messenger,” he chuckled, but when I didn’t echo his humor his face grew serious again.

     “Something like that.” I had no plans of talking to her about his visit…yet. Flex nodded his head and turned towards the door ready to leave. “You’ve said what you came to say, now it’s my turn,” I called out.

     Flex stopped in his tracks and the set of his shoulders tensed, ready for a fight.

     “I’m listening.”

     “Send a message back to Aaron for me.” Flex shot me a wicked smile. One that showed he knew everything I did about Tori’s abusive ex. I should kill him for that alone, but then who would deliver my message? “I’m coming for him. His time is marked and I’ll make it painful.”

     “Seems I was right about you after all, Trench.” Flex nodded and walked out the door taking my promise with him.