Chapter Twelve
Tank
The moment Sapphire swung her leg over the side of Tank’s bike and snuggled against his back, his anxiety increased. She was the first person to ride on his bike since Trisha. For a moment, the memory of her accident tried to push to the forefront, but Tank refused to give it a thought. He would not allow the past to dictate his future anymore. He couldn’t. If he wanted to find happiness in his life again, he needed to move forward.
“You okay?” Sapphire asked.
“Yeah,” Tank answered. “Why?”
“For one, you stiffened up the moment I got on,” Sapphire replied. “Second, you looked lost for a minute.”
“To be honest, you are the first person to be on my bike since Trisha.”
“Oh,” Sapphire said. “I can have someone else come get me if this makes you uncomfortable.”
“Absolutely not,” Tank said.
He didn’t want her riding with anyone else. If he were honest with himself, the idea of her pressed against the back of any man damn near caused him to see red.
Starting his bike, Tank took off out of the driveway and headed in the direction of Diesel’s house. As they traveled down the streets of Dallas and headed out of town, the nervousness that filled Tank’s gut began to recede.
By the time they arrived at Diesel’s house to get Sapphire’s bike, Tank was reluctant to let her off. There was something about her that seemed to push light into his world. Like the sun poking through after a bad storm. The feel of her against him shoved some of the darkness that always invaded his soul to the far corners of his mind. Sapphire Kimber would be his saving grace. Now, he just had to figure out a way to make her see it, too.
If she didn’t want the Angels, maybe she would consider moving to Dallas.
But what about her practice?
Could she establish it here?
Slow down! One step at a time...
“Wait right here, I’ll grab my bike and bring it around,” Sapphire said, climbing off the back of Tank’s bike.
“Okay,” he replied.
A few minutes later, Tank heard the distinct rumble of another Harley and after another moment, Sapphire came creeping around the side of the house. The woman took his breath away.
A bandana tied tightly over her head to keep her hair from blowing around and a long black braid cascaded down her back. The way the sun reflected off her hair, Tank could see the deep highlights of red, always a dark cherry. The woman was stunning and Tank wanted her even more.
“You ready?” Sapphire called over the sound of both engines.
“After you,” Tank answered.
“Actually, I don’t know the way to the Henchmen clubhouse,” Sapphire replied. “So I will just follow you.”
“Alright,” Tank called back, pulling back out of Diesel’s place.
The ride to the clubhouse took a little over an hour. Pulling into the lot, it was a clusterfuck of chaos. Members and bikes were parked everywhere. Over the last year, several new prospects had been added.
Seeing Sledge standing next to the porch with his arm around Beth, Tank slowed his bike to a crawl before stopping a few feet away and shut it down. Sapphire followed suit next to him.
He watched as she climbed off her bike and walked towards the President of the Devil’s Henchmen MC like she owned the place. Several heads turned her direction, but Sapphire’s step never faltered. She put one foot in front of the other and walked up the stairs to stand in front of Sledge. To Tank, she looked regal; like a queen walking to her throne.
“You ready?” she asked.
“Just about,” Sledge answered. “How are you holding up?”
“As good as I can be,” Sapphire answered honestly.
“If you need anything,” Beth said. “Anything at all. Just ask. We are all here for you, and your sisters.”
“Thank you,” Sapphire replied.
Tank could tell Sapphire was caught off-guard by Beth’s generosity. The quick flash of confusion, there one second and gone the next, that shown in her eyes spoke volumes. Sapphire Kimber was not used to people reaching out to her.
“Hey Prez,” a prospect called. “Everything is loaded up and ready to go.”
“Okay,” Sledge called.
“Everything?” Sapphire inquired.
“I’m not sure what we will be walking into. We are preparing for this trip like we do for our missions.”
“Gotcha,” Sapphire nodded.
“Henchmen,” Sledge’s voice boomed across the parking lot. “Load up.”
Pressing a hand on the small of Sapphire’s back, Tank led her back to her bike, but as she passed a few of the newer Henchmen, one made a comment.
“You can ride with me,” Dexter grinned. “Or on me.”
Tank felt Sapphire stiffen, but just as quickly, he felt the tension leave her as she turned out of his arm and slowly sashayed over to the man.
The moment she placed her hand on Dexter’s chest and slowly started moving it south, Tank was ready to murder the man. Those hands shouldn’t be touching anyone — except him. Taking a step towards them, he watched as Sapphire whispered something in Dexter’s ear and the color drain from the man’s face. Tank had no idea what she had said to him, but as she turned to walk back in his direction, he saw the flash of a blade closing as Sapphire replaced the knife in her pocket.
“Ready?” she asked, smiling.
“What did you say to him?” Tank asked, curious.
“Nothing much,” Sapphire grinned, walking past him. “Just that if he ever talks to another female like that again, I would castrate him and feed his nuts to his mother.”
“What?” Tank laughed.
“Yep.”
Shaking his head, Tank followed behind Sapphire to their bikes. She absolutely amazed him. Even though every instinct told him to protect her, Sapphire was more than capable of protecting herself. Her time spent in the fight camp had molded her into the badass bitch she was today. A small part of him was actually scared of her, not that he would ever admit that out loud; and that alone, excited him.
As Tank and Sapphire straddled their respective bikes, an enormous rumble took over the lot as each member of the Henchmen, along with Sapphire fired up their bikes and headed for Houston. In a few short hours, the city would be invaded. In a few short hours, Sapphire would have to steel her spine even more so than it already was. Life as she previously knew it would stop and crumble, and Tank wanted to be part of the inner circle that would help her rebuild.