Guardian Bears: Marcus (7 page)

T
he Serpents’ compound
was busier today. As Marcus rode up, he saw the glares and glowers from some of the men. Cal had clearly taken the chance to get his side of the story out, and it was obviously not one which flattered Marcus.

Some of them looked a little happier, though. Marcus wasn’t surprised - a slimeball like Cal wasn’t likely to be that popular with everyone. A few of the Serpents even shared a grin with him as he walked over to the main building.

“Hey man, you okay?” Lewis called over. He and another Serpent stood from where they’d been working on their bikes and ambled over. Marcus saw through their casual approach, and figured everyone else did too - there was a touch of hero-worship in their eyes.

He suppressed a sigh and forced a smile of his own. This was another distraction he didn’t need, but there was no point in making more enemies than he had to.

“I’m fine,” he answered with a wave. It was mostly true - aside from the cut on his arm, the few injuries he’d taken in the fight had healed up overnight. One of the advantages of being a bear shifter was the healing speed. “Nothing to worry about anyway.”

“Lewis was telling us you spent time in the Army,” the newcomer said. “That true?”

“Yeah, learned a few things there. Mostly to hit first and hit hardest,” he said. The Army had taught him a good deal more than that, but it would do for now.

He looked the younger biker up and down, taking in the skinny man in leathers and nodded. There was muscle there, and a determination to be tough. A lot like Lewis, he looked like someone who needed a cause.

Shame the Serpents got to him first,
he mused, and decided to take a small chance.

“It’s a good place to learn to fight, you know. Couldn’t hurt to pick up a few tricks; the club’ll still be here when you get out, and you’ll have that much more to offer. Here, give me a call if you want to talk about it.”

He scribbled his number on a scrap of paper and handed it over. The kid might be salvageable, and a few years with Uncle Sam would give him something real to fight for. It might give him an out from the MC life, and if it didn’t, well, he’d tried.

“You trying to poach my recruits, Marcus?” Big Jack boomed jovially, appearing through a doorway, a wide grin stretched across his face. He looked genuinely happy for the first time since Marcus had met him. “Didn’t know the Army sent you out to bring back our pledges.”

Lewis and his friend shrank back from the big man’s approach, but Marcus just grinned. “Hey, there’s a recruiting shortage just now, we need every good man we can get.”

Big Jack’s laughter boomed loud across the yard, and everyone turned to him. “Well, if a couple of years in the service’ll take Danny here and teach him how to put Cal on his ass like you did, it might be worth a shot.”

Cal’s supporters glowered at that and turned away. Big Jack shook his head, clapped Marcus on the shoulder, and steered him towards the door.

“You boys can get your sign-up papers from our friend here later,” he said to Lewis and Danny. “Right now, Marcus is late for a meeting.”

“I didn’t know I was expected,” Marcus said as he stepped inside, feeling a little on edge as Big Jack followed him in.

The bar room beyond was dark, and with the big man between him and the way out, he kept a careful eye out for an ambush. But there was no one inside, and Jack simply guided him through to the back of the building, and a small door there.

“Well, you might have made a bit of an impression on the boss,” Big Jack said, sounding amused. He picked up a hand-held metal detector from the bar and gestured to Marcus, who pulled out his phone and dropped it in a basket. Spreading his arms, he let Jack check him for wires and weapons.

“Cal’s a pretty tough customer, so beating him pushed up the meeting,” Jack continued, waving the wand cautiously over Marcus. He was careful and thorough, which Marcus had to respect. The Serpents weren’t taking any chances of this conversation being recorded. “And I figured, hey, you’ll roll up here today sometime, see how we’re taking that.

“Either that, or you’d have fucked off and we’d never see you again. Lots of folk would figure that the smart move, if they’d kicked a Serpent’s ass. We look after our own.”

“So would that have been the smart move, Jack?” Marcus said, letting a little menace into his voice.

“Don’t ask me, ask the boss,” Jack replied, throwing open the door with a theatrical flourish.

Inside, the Serpents’ meeting room was surprisingly neat, the walls lined with posters and banners celebrating the club. In the center of the floor was wooden table with a long coiling snake carved down the center. Its eyes looked disconcertingly alive, and Marcus almost thought it was watching him as he entered.

“Marcus! Welcome, come in.” The man at the head of the table called out, standing and offering his hand. His grip was strong, punishingly tight, enough to make most men wince.

Marcus wasn’t most men. Smiling, he squeezed back, and was rewarded with a surprised look in the eyes of the other man.

“Pleased to meet you,” he growled.

His host was a tall man, nearly as tall as Marcus, and almost as broad too. Older, hair going gray to match his cold, piercing eyes. There was a nasty intelligence to his gaze, a cunning Marcus didn’t trust one bit. Looking into his eyes, he let his bear taste the air again. The man stank of the darkness, of corruption and sin, but still not strong enough to be the source.

He’s closer to it than the rest, though. Careful.

“Name’s Vance,” the big man said, taking back his hand and smiling what almost looked like a friendly smile. It didn’t reach his eyes. “Come on in and take a seat. We’ve got business to discuss.”

“That’s what I’m here for,” Marcus agreed easily, sitting down with a casual slouch. The door was behind him, he noticed, and Big Jack hadn’t gone far. Vance wasn’t taking any chances.

Of course, that wouldn’t matter a bit if he decided to make a move. However prepared the Serpents thought they were, they’d have a hard time facing down a sudden bear attack in their midst. But that wouldn’t help with the real problem he was here to face, even if he did break everyone in the damned clubhouse.

There were things he needed to know first.

And that meant that he needed to keep his cover up, which meant passing for a useful business associate here.

Fortunately, his cover was good, and his introduction from Lewis helped. Setting up a pipeline for drug sales into Canada gave him plenty to discuss with Vance, and a big payday for the club would keep him safe while dealing with them. Right up until they found out that the gang he was representing had never heard of him. But that would take a few more days. Karl, Marcus’s partner and fellow bear shifter who’d set up this fake ID for him, was good at his work.

Just another good thing that had come out of his time with the Bear Squad in the Army.

“Well then, let’s get to it. We’ve got the merchandise you need, and you’ve got something we want too.”

That was a little surprise, and not a welcome one. “Cash on the table, I thought.”

“Oh, your money’s good, friend. Don’t doubt that. But you can get a bargain if you can give us something else in return.” Vance’s smile hadn’t wavered, superficially friendly but hiding a darkness and a hunger.

“What do you have in mind?” Marcus asked, warily.

“You and your friends trade us a few warm bodies, and we’ll give you a big discount on your order, okay?” Vance nodded quickly, leaning forward. “Just need a few women no one’s going to miss.”

Marcus thought back to what Lisa had said that morning about people going missing, and suppressed his angry reaction, not letting any of it show on his face as he shrugged. “I don’t see an issue, if the price is right.”

“Good, good,” Vance said, seeming satisfied with that. Marcus clenched his teeth to hold back a snarl as the man continued. “Business is good when we help each other, see? So, how quick can you make that happen?”

“Let me make a few phone calls and we can have something sorted in three-four days,” Marcus offered. “Once I’ve seen your merchandise, of course.”

“No problem, friend,” Vance said, offering his hand again. “We can have a shipment ready then, and I can show you what we’ve got today.”

They shook on the deal, each smiling in fake friendship at the other.
Don’t think Vance has any more intention of honoring this deal than I do,
Marcus thought.

“One other thing,” Vance said, still holding Marcus’s hand tight. “I hear you had a bit of trouble with one of my boys last night.”

Marcus did snarl at that. Behind him, he heard Big Jack step back into the doorway, and felt his bear waking as he was surrounded.

Not yet,
he thought, pressing down his instinct to fight.

“He got between me and a girl,” he said instead, casually. “No big deal.”

“Cal’s been after that girl for a while now,” Vance said, meeting Marcus’s eyes. “And this is our town, so yeah, it could be a big deal if you make it one.”

Marcus shrugged. “She isn’t his girl, though. I’d back off if she was his, he can do the same for me.”

Their eyes met, and he saw the cold angry darkness coiled inside Vance. The man hadn’t gotten to the top of the club by ignoring the needs of its members, and he clearly didn’t like the idea of an outsider taking something from a Serpent. The two of them stared fixedly, neither willing to give in.

“Tell you what,” Marcus offered after a long breath. “If we’re sending you some girls anyway, I’ll throw in an extra to make it up to Cal. That fair?”

That would have been a fair concession if he’d had any intention of actually selling people to the gang. And he had an idea that the trade in human flesh was a lot more important to Vance than Cal’s hurt feelings were.

Vance nodded after a brief, measuring pause. “Sounds like a deal. That gets you off the hook there, then - Big Jack’ll let the boys know.”

“Right away, boss,” Big Jack said, sounding amused. “No problem. But what should I say when the boys ask about it? She’s not Cal’s, but she’s not Marcus’s either. She’s not wearing his jacket.”

The corner of Vance’s mouth twitched, and he glanced over Marcus’s shoulder at Jack.

“The man’s got a point,” he said. “You’re a guest, and if she’s your girl, I’ll make sure the boys keep their hands off. We’re hospitable like that. But if she doesn’t pick you either, she’s still fair game, you understand.”

Marcus couldn’t hold back the snarl at that. It gave away more of his emotions than he wanted, but hearing this scum talk about Lisa like she was just some piece of property was too much. Of course, by their standards, the gang was giving him a chance to make her
his
property, which was more than they’d do for most outsiders - but that didn’t make him any happier about it.

On the other hand, he didn’t have an argument to offer. Vance didn’t look like this was up for discussion anyway.

“Sure, that’s fair,” he said, forcing his voice to sound reasonable when he wanted to tear the man’s arm off and beat him with it. “Won’t make any difference. She’s mine.”

Vance grinned and nodded, finally letting go of his hand. They both stood, smiling their fake smiles at each other, and with that, the meeting was over.

L
isa’s day
hadn’t started well. Once Marcus left the apartment, she’d sat down in the kitchen and let herself cry for half an hour, sobbing and praying that she hadn’t made a terrible mistake.

Almost, she’d called out to him to come back as he left the room. Her heart felt like it was breaking, but she couldn’t compromise her principles for him, at least not this principle. What would be the point of being with him if he was going to bury the person she was?

Get whatever you’re doing done quickly, Marcus, you fat-headed beautiful idiot,
she thought, listening to him on the stairs.
I want you in my life but I can’t have that bring the Serpents in too!

She wished that she had someone to talk about her feelings with, but that wasn’t going to happen. Before he left for the military, Marcus had always been someone she could turn to, but now he was the one she wanted to talk about. And her mother… no, not when it involved the Serpents. There was too much old pain there already. Plus, it would be awfully embarrassing to try and talk to her mother about what had happened between Marcus and her last night.

In the movies everyone has friends they can talk to about sex stuff,
Lisa thought with an amused sniff.
Where are mine?

There was Janet, of course, but she was off on her own romantic adventure and Lisa didn’t want to spoil it with this mess. She really couldn’t see herself telling anyone else in town about her thoughts and feelings. They were too raw, too new, and she’d never been that close to anyone here apart from Marcus and Janet.

Eventually, she forced herself to get up. The store wasn’t going to run itself, and there was a full day’s business ahead. No matter how empty she felt, how hopeless, she still needed to take in some money, it was that simple.

Fortunately, it was a busier day in the shop. Not only did that mean taking enough money to make up for yesterday’s slow day, but it also meant that she didn’t have time to think about the emotions swirling inside her. She just had to keep smiling and working, and the hours passed quickly. For once, being too busy to take a real lunch break was a blessing.

By mid-afternoon the day was finally starting to slow down, and she had time to think. She checked her phone, half-hoping for a message from Marcus, half-glad that there wasn’t anything. As determined as she was to stick to her decision, she couldn’t be sure she’d be able to if he did decide to push her.

There was something about that man that made him irresistible to her.

Maybe I should stay out of his way for a while
, she thought.
I don’t want to distract him, or me.
But that would mean not going anywhere he’d be, and the town wasn’t that big. And he’d still see her in the street, more than likely.

Besides, she didn’t really
want
to avoid him. She just wanted this all done and over with, so that they could be together.

She was lost enough in her thoughts that she didn’t pay much attention when a few the Serpents wandered into the shop, beyond momentary relief that none of them were Cal.

Gang members weren’t an unusual sight, they did have to shop somewhere after all, and so she didn’t think anything of it until they made their way to her counter, and she realized that half a dozen of them were in the shop now. All the other customers had made themselves scarce.

The smile on the face of the big guy leaning over the counter wasn’t friendly at all. Lisa tried to hide her nerves behind a bright smile of her own as she rang up his purchases. He was one of the older members of the gang, hair turning gray and belly going soft, but under that there was a core of muscle, and his eyes had the nasty look of someone who enjoyed violence. She was all too familiar with that look from Cal.

“I hear you’re Marcus’s now, that right?” The big man leered down at her, eyes flicking down to her chest and back. She felt her cheeks heat as she answered.

“I’m not anyone’s property,” she snapped, and then paused, not sure if that had been the right thing to say.

“That right?” the man laughed, and nudged another Serpent in the side. The laugh was anything but friendly, and Lisa found herself backing away.

“I guess you shouldn’t have been a bitch to Cal then?” the other, a tall thin wiry man, asked. He stepped around the counter. “Bad move, pissing off our brother like that.”

“If he’s angry at me, he can come here and tell me,” Lisa said, trying to put some fire into her words. She didn’t want to see Cal, not ever again, but it might be better than his friends.

“Hell, he’s gone right off you,” the broader Serpent answered with a sneer. “Maybe if you go and say sorry to him, he’ll forgive you for being so rude to him.”

The two of them loomed over her, and another couple stood by the door. No one was going to come in and break this up, she realized. Her heart raced, and she glanced at her phone on the shelf under the counter. But there was no way they’d let her call Marcus.

“Hey, that’s enough guys,” one of the others said, sounding a little anxious. Lisa glanced over and saw that it was Lewis, Marcus’s friend. “She gets the message, don’t you, Lisa?”

She nodded quickly, but the two Serpents at the counter just laughed.
Skinny and Fats,
she labeled them privately, hoping that giving them nicknames would make them less frightening to her. It didn’t seem to do much good.

Skinny took another step closer, pinning Lisa into a corner, and Fats turned to answer.

“Just cause you’ve got a hard-on for Marcus don’t mean the rest of us have forgotten who we’re loyal too, Lewie. He ain’t one of us, and we won’t let one of our own lose out to some fucking wanderer, understand?”

Lewis held up his hands and backed off, turning towards the window with an unhappy look on his face. Lisa felt a jolt of contempt for him - like a few of the other Serpents, he wasn’t a bad guy, just not strong enough to be a good one. He might not like seeing her victimized, but he’d still stand look-out for the men doing it rather than try to stop them.

That’s what’s wrong with this whole town, no one’s willing to stand up to the monsters.
She looked between the two big, scary men looming over her.
Can I blame them?

“Look, I don’t want any trouble,” she started, and the Serpents laughed.

“Should have thought about that before you got Cal hurt, bitch,” Skinny said. “Bit late to think of it now.”

“Maybe you can still maybe make it up to Cal, though.” Fats man said, and grabbed her arm. For a big guy, he was
fast
, and Lisa barely had time to flinch before his grip was tight around her wrist, dragging her around the counter as Skinny got out of the way, taking hold of her other arm as she passed. “C’mon, we’re going to go visit him so you can say sorry.”

Lisa screamed, but there wasn’t anyone there to hear, and this time it didn’t look like Marcus would be riding by to save her. Even if someone did hear or see something, they weren’t likely to risk getting involved.

The two men dragged her towards the front of the shop, ignoring her attempts to dig her heels in and struggle. There was laughter from the other Serpents as they watched her manhandled, and for a brief moment her rage overpowered her fear. She relaxed, letting herself be dragged easily, the sudden change catching her captors by surprise and making them stumble.

For a moment, their grips loosened, and she had the freedom to move. With an angry snarl, she stamped down hard on Fats’s instep, and was rewarded with a satisfying
crunch.
The man howled in pain, let go of her arm and toppled into a shelf, spilling canned food across the aisle as he scrambled for balance.

Lisa took advantage of the moment of confusion to pull away from Skinny and dash back for the counter and her phone. If she could call Marcus, he’d save her! But the Serpents were close behind her.

She leaped behind the counter and grabbed up the phone, only for Skinny to slap it from her hand before she could use it. “You fucking bitch,” he snarled, eyes full of rage. “Y’know, maybe Cal would’ve forgiven you, but after this, no fucking way.”

His fat friend was still howling in pain, another Serpent helping support him as he limped to the door. That still left far too many for Lisa to fight, and before she could even try to get away from Skinny, another man grabbed her arm. Between them, the two Serpents dragged her towards the door, doing their best to ignore her struggles.

She didn’t make it easy, kicking and screaming for help, throwing her weight backwards in an attempt to pull free. Her struggles knocked produce from the shelves, sent the shelves themselves toppling over, and made a ruckus loud enough that Lisa couldn’t believe that her neighbors hadn’t heard it.

Of course, if they had any idea it involved the Serpents, there wasn’t much chance that they’d do anything.

Even if someone did call the police, she knew them well enough to know that they’d make sure to arrive well after the fight was over.

Finally, Skinny had enough of her fighting, and smacked her hard across the head. While she was reeling, dazed from the impact, he slipped a switchblade from his pocket and snapped the blade open, holding it inches from her face.

“Listen, bitch. You’re coming with us whether you like it or not; the only choice you’ve got is if you want to be bleeding when you get there, understand?”

Lisa shuddered and nodded, the fight draining out of her. Her mind was blank, and her body shook, fear filling her like ice, freezing her body solid. Skinny grunted in satisfaction and put the knife away, dragging her out of her shop with the help of his friend.

Outside, the Serpents’ bikes waited along with an SUV. The other gang members spread out, glaring up and down the street to warn off anyone who might try to interfere.

Fats limped to the car and pulled himself into the passenger seat. Skinny pulled Lisa toward the back door, and she had the sinking feeling that if she got in, that would be the last anyone would ever see of her.

Someone shouted in alarm, and her captor turned to look. She followed his gaze, hating the feeling of hope that bubbled up inside her, sure it would be dashed. There wasn’t anything that could help her now, no one to come to her rescue.

The thin man let go of her arm, and she stumbled back in surprise. Lewis was pointing down the street at a huge grizzly bear, and it was charging straight for them.

The animal roared, loud and terrifying, not slowing at all.