Trench

 

     I traded one bloody hangover for another as my breathing finally settled and I lay sated underneath Tori’s weight. We’d spent the better part of the last three days hidden in this room. She was as close to perfect as any woman could be and I was a selfish bastard for bringing her into my world, into my bed. My life was turbulent on the best day and down-right destructive on the worst. She deserved so much more than a man like me could ever offer.

     That didn’t mean I was letting her go. Oh, hell no. I wanted everything she was willing to give and more. I never considered myself a thief, but fuck if I didn’t want to steal her heart and keep it next to mine forever.

     Tori sighed against my chest as warm, steady breaths heated more than just my body. Her heartbeat slowed in time to my own and I felt that shit right down to my soul. Her gentle hand stroked up and down the side of my ribs and sent a shockwave of need straight to my dick. I shouldn’t be ready to take her again this soon, but my body suggested otherwise. I doubted I would ever get enough of this beautiful woman. When I wasn’t working, I was up here, feeding an insatiable appetite only Tori could quell. The brothers were getting curious, but none were brave enough to question what was happening between Tori and me. Not that I gave a fuck. I would deal with whatever shit talk came my way if it meant derailing Tori’s plans to leave a little longer.

     It was never my own club that concerned me anyway. They would bust my balls for weeks when the time was right, but they all knew I was blood-thirsty. I had plans for Preacher and Aaron for all the heinous ways they had hurt Tori. What I’d seen on her back, her legs, her breasts, had me ready to murder. She wore permanent scars on her beautiful skin that no woman should ever carry. I’d kissed every one of them trying to blot out bad memories and replace them with good ones. I would do it as long as she let me.

     I ran my hands up and down her spine in a soothing motion and before long I felt her shoulders relax against me, her breathing soft and shallow as she drifted to sleep in my arms. I closed my own eyes, enjoying a rare moment of peace in the quiet clubhouse, but it was short-lived.

     My phone buzzed irritatingly in the pocket of my jeans on the dresser. I craned my neck slightly to see it vibrating underneath the denim. If not for the annoying rattle I would have never heard it. I let out a frustrated breath and slowly eased Tori off my arm and over to her side of the bed. Her side. Fuck me, but that sounded good in my mind.

     I pulled the sheet back and kicked my legs over the side of the bed. Fortunately, the headache I’d been battling all week had all but disappeared, thanks to my sleeping angel and her uncanny ability to bleed tension from me. I found a pair of gray sweatpants in my drawer and pulled them on before grabbing the phone.

     The screen lit up with four missed calls and two text messages from Clutch. We weren’t scheduled to make the run for Alexei until tomorrow, but we’d made sure everything was already in place. I was surprised Clutch used the phone at all. He preferred face-to-face interactions and it was nothing for him to pound down my door at all hours of the day or night if he needed something. It seemed they were all getting the hint to stay away.

Clutch

Today 9:30 AM

Where u at bro?

Today 10:00 AM

Get off the girl and meet me downstairs.

 

     I backed out of the screen chuckling at his frustration and scrolled to my missed call log before pressing send to call him back. He answered before the first ring even finished. That was never a good sign.

     “Bout fucking time,” he snarled into the receiver without so much as a hello.

     “What’s so important that you’re blowing up my phone like a bitch in heat?” I barked back, but only to get a rise out of him in exchange for ruining my nap with Tori. Clutch was always a moody bastard. Most days I was too, but lately I’d been a saint in comparison.

     “Oh, I don’t know. Maybe work or maybe the little problem we just found in our yard.”

     “And what problem would that be?”

     “You’re going to want to see this for yourself. Meet me in the office when you’re done playing house.”

     The line went silent. I pocketed the phone and slid on a pair of sneakers by the door before heading downstairs to the office. The main floor was littered with empty bottles and food trash from another rowdy night. This time I’d been too preoccupied with Tori to bother checking in. A couple of the brothers who were nursing a stiff drink at the bar, to ease their hangover, nodded as I passed by. Jinx was going to throw a fit when she saw this shit. That made twice in one week she had to clean up after us, but Jinx had been surprised when Tori came down to help. It was the first time I could recall the spitfire behind the bar being speechless.

     “Hey Pres, do us all a favor and put on a fucking shirt. You’re making the rest of us look bad.” Lo groaned from his spot in the corner as I entered the office space Clutch and I typically shared for operations.

     “You do a good enough job of making yourself look like shit without my help, brother.”

     “How come you look so happy?” Lo groaned. He looked a little green around the gills.

     “Come on, Lo. You’d be fucking smiling too if your bed hadn’t been cold all week.” Clutch offered from his perch in front of my desk.

     Lo grunted something about lucky bastards, but I ignored his rambling. He was suffering enough with his hangover.

     “What was so important that you couldn’t tell me over the phone?” I addressed Clutch.

     “Hit the monitor on your desk. Take a close look at Camera Seven.”

     I turned slightly and powered on the screen next to me, scanning the multiple camera displays as the monitor came to life. We kept a few surveillance cameras in the yard to monitor the back, but most of them were positioned toward the gatehouse, the garage, and the bike lot. We never recorded church meetings or any of the day-to-day operations, but as I focused on the tiny block that showed a live feed from Camera Seven I saw it, or rather him.

     A Disciple sat restrained in the metal folding chair in the center of the room, more commonly referred to among the brothers as ‘The Shed’. From this angle, it appeared he had been worked over already.

     “Isn’t that the fucker who came to the house a few nights ago?” Clutch nodded. “What was his name again? Flex?” Clutch nodded again. “Care to explain why he’s sitting in the Shed?”

     “Reaper was working on his bike in the garage. He took a smoke break and caught him coming through the fence line in back. We’ve been trying to figure out what he wants since then. Motherfucker is strong, I’ll give him that. Hasn’t said shit yet.”

     “And I’m just hearing about this?” I stood up and pounded my fist against the desk top. My knuckles pulsed with the impact, but I didn’t care.

     Clutch mirrored my actions, leaning over the desk to stare right at me. “I’ve been trying to reach you all morning, brother, but seems like you were too busy with your new bitch to take my call.”

     “Watch it, Clutch. You might be my VP, but you’re about to cross into dangerous territory if you call her a bitch one more time.” Clutch pushed off the desk and crossed his arms over his chest. Tori was still a subject we didn’t agree on, but his opinions about my down time and her would have to wait until later.

     “Did you find anything on him,” I asked, knowing Reaper would have searched him before they put him in restraints.

     “Yeah, Reaper pulled a side piece, a knife, and a couple small syringes from him. Don’t know what the hell is in them, since Flex isn’t talking. Could be smack, maybe just his own stash. Tori confirmed the Disciples are into some heavy shit, but I’m willing to wager he was after your girl and was planning to drug her ass.”

     “Give me ten minutes.” My blood boiled.

     Clutch and Lo nodded as I left the room. Christ, this was just what I needed. I had an upcoming run to plan for the Russians, a brewing MC war, a Disciple breaking into my compound, and to make matters worse, a constant hard-on for the woman sleeping in my bed.

     The heady mixture of vanilla and sex still clung in the air when I entered the room and found Tori sleeping peacefully. She calmed me. I’d never had that before, not when Pops was still around, not even with the brothers at my back. I couldn’t explain how being close to Tori had the ability to center me, how it made me see things more clearly, but she did. Knowing she was safe somehow made everything else seem trivial in comparison. Shit! Focus, Trench. She might not be that safe if a Disciple broke into your yard. Things had been too quiet since Castro and Aaron made their appearance and intentions known.

     “Trench? Is everything okay?” Tori’s sleepy voice broke through the fog and I realized I had been caught staring.

     “Never better, babe. Club business, that’s all. I might be tied up for a while. I could always call Aimee to come hang out with you. You two seemed to hit it off.” I smiled, reaching for a clean shirt from the drawer.

     “I like Aimee. She’s good people. Jo too.”

     “Good. I’ll give her a call.”

     I found my jeans discarded on the floor and took them to the bathroom to change. After I took a piss and popped a couple aspirin to help with the rebounding headache. I dressed quickly, ready to choke the motherfucker in the shed with his own entrails. By the time I shrugged on my cut and pocketed my piece in my waistband, Tori was standing behind me. Her small fingers slipped into the front pockets of my jeans as she wiggled and pulled in close. I could feel her bare breasts rubbing through the clothing against my back and I seriously debated postponing Flex’s interrogation.

     “Babe, you’re killing me.” I groaned and flexed my groin around beneath her able hands so she could feel the effect she was having on me.

     “I wouldn’t dream of it, because then I couldn’t do this,” Tori drew her hands back slowly. The warmth that was pressed against my back now gone as she moved in front of me and dropped to her knees. She grinned mischievously from her position and I had to bite my tongue to keep myself in check. I had never seen another woman as sexy as her and damn sure never entertained the thought of a future with one.

     “Tori -,” I warned. Those doe eyes sparkled when she looked up with long, thick lashes blinking playfully. “Come here.” I motioned for her to stand up, but I wasn’t prepared for the look of disappointment that crossed her face.

     “I’m sorry, I just thought -,” she stood up and I immediately felt like an ass. Gone was the sexy confidence from seconds ago, and in its place, sad and rejected. “Never mind, I should have figured,” she fidgeted in front of me uncomfortably.

     I reached out, cupping her face between my hands, making it difficult for her to ignore me.

     “You should have figured what, babe?”

     Tori cast her eyes downward and it gutted me. This woman should never feel inadequate or undesired. I kissed her full pink lips once, then twice. She hesitated at first, but soon relaxed into my touch, letting me worship her beautiful mouth with long, leisurely strokes of my tongue against hers. The kiss was different than our first or our last, no longer rushed and keyed up on sexual frustration that had been building since we met. I pulled back and smiled.

     “I’m not done with you yet, Tori. Don’t think for a second I don’t want your lips, your body, or your time, babe. Hell, I’m not sure I’ll ever get enough. Understand?”

     She nodded, but I wanted her to say it. Maybe with more time and convincing, Tori would realize how special she was, but for a victim of abuse, that could often be the hardest pill to swallow. Aaron and Preacher would pay for breaking her. They would be begging for death by the time I was done with them. I couldn’t explain to Tori now, but getting information from Flex was the first step in making sure she never had to worry about the Disciples again.

     “I’ll call Aimee to meet you here in an hour. I’m not sure how long I’ll be, but when I get back, be ready for me.” I winked and pressed another kiss to her mouth.

     No. I would never get enough and to think, it all started with one fucking ride.