Sanctuary (Freaks MC Book 2) (19 page)

As the world faded away he felt the burner, tucked safely in an inside pocket of his cut, vibrate three times.

They were here.

~ oOo ~

Tiny had been impressed but not surprised at how quickly the Psycho Twins had gotten the information they needed. They were, after all, prodigies of Samson. Now, as they left their bikes in a picnic area and piled into the van, he prayed silently to the god of Freaks that they weren't too late.

The Serpiente were holding his brother and his ol' lady in a deserted cabin, deep in the trees. They parked the van out of sight and crept closer. There were two guards outside and, by the looks of things, they were both drunk. Tiny grinned. “Fox, you take the one on the right, I'll take his buddy.” Fox nodded and, screwing the silencer onto the sniper, crawled though the undergrowth to get into position while Tiny did the same. “Ready?”

“
Ready.”

“
On three. One – two....” Both men hit their targets dead on, and the rest of his brothers moved closer.

“
We actually got a plan here?” Wolf leaned against a tree and checked his gun.

Tiny shrugged. “Blast our way in, kill every motherfucker and get Samson and Emma out.” He glanced over to Tank, a huge hulking monster, who looked incapable of stringing a sentence together. “What you got, bro?”

“C4 with a ten second fuse. It's only enough to blow the door off and make a big bang.” He grinned, showing his one remaining tooth. “How fast can you run?”

Tiny hated explosives. To tell the truth, they scared the shit out of him, but he didn't hesitate. Creeping forward, he placed the C4 at the foot of the door, lit the fuse and got his ass out of there.

~ oOo ~

It felt like Emma's arms were being pulled out of their socket as she fought against the two men who were holding her. In front of her, Deke hung, lifeless from the beam. They'd killed him – she kicked out wildly – they'd beaten him to death.

“Fucking whore.” Her face exploded in pain, as her torturer back handed her hard across the cheek. “Wake him up. I want him to see this. He's going to.....” The explosion rocked the small building, shattering the window behind her. Then all hell broke loose.

Suddenly, finding herself free, Emma dropped to the floor and curled herself tightly into a ball, the desire to run to Deke overridden by a deep-seated instinct to make herself as small and still as possible, as the room filled with noise and smoke. Someone dragged her to her feet by her hair and she felt the barrel of a gun being pressed against her temple. “Drop the gun or the bitch dies.”

Emma saw Tiny's cheek twitch as their eyes met for a instant, then he smiled horribly and leveled his gun at her captor’s head. “Don't give a shit 'bout no whore.”

“
I know you Freaks got a thing about your women. Drop the gun.”

“
You're talking to the wrong Freak, friend. Kill her, don't kill her. It's all the same to me. Fuck it. I'll shoot you straight through her.” As if in slow motion she saw his finger begin to squeeze. Emma closed her eyes as she felt the barrel of the gun leave her face and, as two deafening shots in quick succession blasted through her skull, felt herself being dragged backwards.

“
Emma. C'mon darling. I need you to open your eyes.” Bugs smiled. “Good girl. Here. Hold this against your face.” Gently he took her hand and pressed it against a gauze on her cheek. He quickly looked around. “We all whole? Tiny?”

“
He's okay. Vest held. He's just winded is all.”

“
Samson?”

“
Still with us.”

~ oOo ~

Deke sat on the floor of the van, leaning against the back of the driver's seat. His left arm hung limply at his side, his whole body was on fire and every bump and pothole sent shockwaves along his spine, but he hardly noticed them. All he was aware of was his girl laying with her head resting on his thigh. The ugly wound on her cheek covered by a dressing.

She hadn't spoken and had moved like an automaton as she'd been led outside to the van. Every so often a shudder would run though her body, and he would run his hand lightly across her hair in a pathetic attempt to soothe her.

Next to her, Tiny, still wheezing a little, leaned forward and, sliding the cut from his shoulders, laid it across her.

After all they'd been through, it was that small act that finally broke him. He closed his eyes, unable to bear the sight of his girl covered with his brother's patch, and, not caring who heard, began to sob.

Tiny rested his hand gently on Emma's shoulder. “She'll be fine, bro. She's just in shock is all.”

Deke blinked as the tears stung his swollen lip and took a deep breath. “I know. Thanks, brother.”

They fell silent again as they made their way to the nearest hospital. The only sound was the rumble of the Harleys that surrounded their vehicle.

~ oOo ~

Emma lay back on the crisp white pillows and tried to gather her thoughts. The hand that covered hers wasn't Deke's, but it was the next best thing. “Tiny? Is Deke...?”

“
Deke's fine, little one.” He squeezed her hand. “He's just getting fixed up.”

She closed her eyes. “Will you stay with me till he gets here?”

“Of course. As long as you need me.”

“
Thank you.” It hurt when she tried to speak. “Tiny?”

“
Yeah?”

“
Is my face fucked?”

“
It'll heal.”

“
But there'll be a scar.”

“
Most likely.” No one could accuse the big Freak of sugarcoating things. He grinned. “You're gonna look badass.”

She didn't want to look badass. “Can I have a mirror?”

“Maybe later. Don't start getting bent outta shape about this, Emma. A little scar don't change nothing.”

They both looked up as the door opened and a young nurse walked in. “The police will be here soon, I don't know how long I can hold them off.”

Tiny nodded. “Thanks, Angela. Can we get her out of here?”

“
I'll get some antibiotics and then you should be able to sneak out through the fire exit.” She turned to Emma. “You can remove the dressing tomorrow and clean it carefully. The sutures need to be removed after a week. All the other injuries seem superficial. You should be on your feet in no time.”

“
I can't leave. What about Deke? I have to wait for him.”

“
There's a motel nearby. We can wait there. It'll be fine, Emma. Angela's a friend, she'll keep the cops at bay until we can get him out.”

~ oOo ~

“I can manage.” Samson pushed Fox's hand away and eased himself carefully out of the van, taking a moment for the swimming in his head to die down. Fox ignored him and held his good arm. “I'm not a fucking invalid.”

“
You just got out of surgery, brother. How about you just let me help you get to your girl without falling flat on your face.” Fox led him slowly to the motel door. “You can rest up here for a couple of days. That little nurse that Spike used to bang will come by later to check up on you.”

As he stepped through the door, he straightened up, not wanting his girl to see him so broken again. He had to be strong for her.

Deke wasn't sure what he'd expected when he walked into that motel room - that she'd run into his arms or maybe even be pissed as all hell – but he sure as shit didn't expect to see her sitting in the middle of her bed, hugging her knees and staring, unseeing, at the TV. Tiny caught his eye, and gave the smallest shake of his head.

“
Baby girl?”

Her eyes never left the screen. “Hey.”

“Emma.” He could feel himself swaying,

Tiny crossed the room and helped him to the bed. “Let's get you laid down 'fore you fall down, boss. Emma. Could use your help here.” She didn't move, or even look up. He scowled. “Emma, Your man needs your help. Get your shit together.”

“Leave her.” He sank onto the bed and, with his brother's help, lay back onto the pillows. “Emma. Baby.” He saw her shoulders tense. “You gonna look at me?”

She shook her head. “No.”

“I'm gonna see if I can't find another room. Give you two some privacy.” Tiny straightened up and grabbed his cut.

“
You been staying here?”

He nodded to the chair on the corner. “Didn't want to leave her alone.”

“Thanks.”

“
Weren't nothing. You'd do the same.” He reached out and touched Emma's shoulder. “I'll be close by, little one.”

“
Okay.”

“
Emma! Look at me.”

Deke stiffened. “Brother. Leave her.”

“I'll leave her when she acknowledges me. Emma. I ain't telling you again.” She looked up and he smiled. “Good girl. You need me, you call. Okay.”

“
Okay.”

As soon as they were alone, Deke closed his eyes. “Could really use a hug, baby girl.”

“I can't.” It was barely a whisper.

“
That's okay.” He wanted to touch her so much, but she remained firmly out of reach. “Whenever you're ready.”

“
I'm sorry.”

“
You don't have nothing to be sorry about, baby girl.” He forced his eyes open. “I love you.”

He didn't have to see her face to know that she was crying. “I love you, too.”

NINETEEN

Deke leaned his head on the windowpane. Their whole life had just gone to shit.

The work on the build had come to a halt as the money dried up. He was still grounded and couldn't earn, and Emma – he closed his eyes – Emma was gone. The girl he loved, with the easy laugh and the quick wit. The girl who would tease him mercilessly one minute and jump him the next, had gone, and in her place was an empty shell.

“
Samson?”

He opened his eyes and looked up as Tiny's ol' lady walked over holding two mugs of coffee. “Hey baby.” He forced the corners of his mouth to turn up as he took the mug. “Thanks.”

“How are you doing?” She sat next to him on the window seat and looked out to where Tiny was working on the panhead.

“
Think I must be getting old. Everything seems to take twice as long to heal.”

“
You'll get there.” She touched his hand. “How's Emma?”

“
Hurting.” He sighed. “I don't know how to fix her.”

“
You want me to talk to her?”

“
She won’t hear you. She's....” He shook his head. “I've lost her, Beth.”

“
She just needs some time. She'll come back to you.”

“
I hope you're right. It's killing me to see her like this.”

~ oOo ~

He hauled himself out of Emma's car and headed for the trailer. “Emma?” It was cold – the stove had gone out and his girl was nowhere to be seen. With a sigh, he turned and walked back outside.

She was sitting on the fence at the bottom of the yard, staring out towards the sea. “Emma, baby?” If she heard him, she showed no sign. He gently touched her arm, ignoring the involuntary flinch. “It's cold out here, come inside.”

“I'm okay.” She didn't turn to look at him.

She was a million miles away from being okay. Deke could see her backbone through the thin fabric of the baggy black tee shirt she was wearing and the crazy colors on the tips of her curls had faded. It had always felt as though she dragged the sunshine with her wherever she went, and now she was shrouded in fog. He leaned his forearms on the top rail of the fence. “The panhead's coming along great. Tiny's done most of the work. I've been relegated to tool passer, cigarette provider and Abi entertainer. Should have it ready to sell in a week or so. If I sell that and the Indian, we should be able to get the roof finished.” He stole a glance at her, and she quickly turned her head away. “That's good, right?”

“
Yeah.”

“
And if you get that commission finished, we should have enough to keep the wolf from the door till I'm ready to hit the road again.”

“
Yeah.”

“
You could do it in the morning. Be good to start painting again, huh?”

“
Yeah.”

His gut knotted. “How about we go inside now? I'm seizing up out here.”

She sighed and swung her legs back over the fence. “Okay.”

As they walked past the half finished chicken run to the trailer, Deke kept talking about nothing in particular – Abi's antics, Beth's plans for Thanksgiving – anything to fill the silence. He pushed open the gate and stopped. “Goddammit. Fucking goat!” He pulled his Glock from its holster as it turned and looked at him balefully, a piece of bike seat still hanging from its mouth. “Fucking flea bitten piece of shit. I'm gonna…”

“Deke! No!” Emma threw herself at him. “He got out because you didn't fasten the gate. It's not his fault. It's yours.” She began pounding him as hard as she could on the chest. “It's your fault, Deke. It's all your fault.”

He'd been beaten with iron bars, been shot, and taken a dive down a ravine, but these paled in comparison to the pain her tiny fists were inflicting. “I know. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.” He pulled her, sobbing, into his arms. “It's all my fault.”

~ oOo ~

“
She's really not okay, is she?” Beth looked through the open living room door to where Emma was sitting, cross-legged, on the sofa, hugging Luke to her chest.

“
No, she's not.” He followed her gaze. “I dunno what to do, Beth. She don't eat, refuses to paint. Fuck, she won't even look at me.”

Wordlessly, Tiny pushed back the dining chair and walked past them to where she was sitting. He took the sleeping baby from her and lay him carefully on the sofa, then, crouching down, pushed her hair away from her face. Deke expected her to turn her face away, but she held his gaze as he spoke to her in tones too low for him to hear. She shook her head and tried to look away but Tiny grabbed her chin, refusing to let her go, and continued talking, Then, after saying his piece, he ran his finger along the long scar that ran down her cheek and kissed it.

She smiled – shit, he'd forgotten what that looked like – and laid her hand on his brother’s cheek, before he straightened up and walked back to his beer.

“
What did you say to her?”

“
That's none of your business, brother.”

“
My ol' lady. My business.” Samson whirled on his brother as six weeks of frustration and anger bubbled to the surface. How could it be that his girl would sit quietly and listen to what Tiny said, yet couldn't bear to be in the same room as him? Was Tiny not just as responsible for what happened to her as he was? Yet she trusted him above her own old man. Tiny, whose family was still untouched, whose wife didn't carry a constant reminder of what he'd done to her. “What did you say to her?”

“
Ask her.”

“
Tell me now, or…”

Tiny raised an eyebrow. “We ain't in the clubhouse now, brother. This is my home. You don't get to call the shots here, my friend. What I said to Emma is between me an' her. If she wants to share, that's up to her.” He shrugged. “I just figured she could use a friend right now. She's hurting real bad, brother.”

~ oOo ~

Thanksgiving at Tiny's was becoming something of a tradition. Lunch was reserved for his little family. But in the evening, his brothers and their families would all descend on his place. Deke had been looking forward to taking his girl, but now, watching her sitting on the swing in the yard while, inside, everyone partied, he realized it had been a mistake. He crossed the lawn and leaned against the frame. “You wanna go home?”

She kept her eyes firmly fixed on her feet. “I'm okay. Go and enjoy the party.”

“
Not gonna enjoy it, knowing you're sitting out here all alone.” He held out his hand. “C'mon, lets go home.”

She hadn't taken his hand – he hadn't expected her to – but she did follow him to her car and silently climbed into the passenger seat, then, pulling up her hoodie, turned her face to the window and closed her eyes. Deke stole a glance at her. “What did Tiny say?”

She shrugged. “Nothing much. Just the usual 'man up' speech.”

He chuckled and gave his best Tiny impersonation. “Get your shit together, girl. Gotta keep your head in the game.”

“Pretty much.”

In the past, swapping Tiny quotes would have been the entertainment for the next few miles, but she fell silent. Deke took a deep breath and kept his eyes firmly on the road ahead. “Why do you hide your face from me?”

Silence.

His hands gripped the wheel a little tighter. “You didn't hide from Tiny.”

“Tiny gets mad if I don't look at him when he's talking.”

“
Is that what I should do? Get mad? Yell at you?”

“
No.”

“
Then what should I do, Emma? How am I supposed to put this right if you won’t even tell me why you won’t show me your face.”

“
Because you don't want to see it.”

“
That's ridiculous. Of course I want to see it. I fucking love your face. Do you really think that scar will change how I feel about you?”

“
No, I think it will change how you feel about
you
.” She sighed. “Pull over.” As soon as they were stationary she turned, switched on the interior light and pulled her hair away from her face. “Take a good look, Deke.”

In his time, Deke had seen a lot of scars, and this was by no means the worst. It ran from her cheekbone to just above her mouth in a neat, straight line. It was still fresh and pink, but it would fade with time. Yet as he looked at his girl, he could feel his chest tighten. “I'm sorry.”

“Are you going to say that every time you look at me?” For the fist time in six weeks, she reached out, and just for the briefest moment, the tips of her fingers touched his face. Then she pulled the hood back over her head, and shrank back into her shell.

“
Emma.” He pushed back the hood and ran his finger down her cheek. “You're right. I hate it. I hate that you got it because of me. It tears me apart to see you in so much pain.” He swallowed. “It scares me, too.”

“
I know.” She smiled, just a little. “I'd make it stop if I could.”

He wanted to pull her into his arms and hold her till the hurt went away, but as he moved closer, she stiffened – just a little. “I'm going to lose you, ain't I?”

“I don't know.” She turned her face away. “I'm sorry.”

~ oOo ~

“Merry Christmas. I know it's a little early. But I could hardly hide him under the bed.” Emma stared at the pup on her lap, and Deke grinned. “Not sure what he is, but judging by the size of his feet, he's gonna be big.”

“
I don't want it. Take it back.”

“
Gonna tell me why?” The puppy whimpered and snuggled closer.

“
I don't have time for a puppy.”

“
Yeah, what with you being so busy staring into space all day.” He threw a scrap of paper onto the table. “That's the address. You can take him back. I'm going for a ride.”

“
I'm sorry.” He was losing patience with her and she really didn't blame him, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't lift herself out of the depression she'd sunk into. She gently held the pup against her chest and lay back down again, too dead inside to care.

Deke sat down heavily on the bed and look the pup from her arms. “I just want to hold you, baby girl.”

She wanted that too. To feel his strong arms around her as he held her against his chest. To smell the road on him. To feel safe again. “I can't.”

“
Tell me why.”

“
I'm scared.”

“
Of me? You're scared of me?”

She shook her head. “No.”

“What are you scared of, Emma? Talk to me, please.”

“
You were my safe place, Deke. When you held me, it felt as though nothing could touch me. I'm scared that I won't feel that any more.”

“
Because I let you down.” The look of pain on his face was too much, and she looked away. “Emma. Don't! Look at me.” He grabbed her hand. “I'm responsible for what happened to you. I killed that asshole's brother because he raped Lola, and although I'm more sorry than you'll ever know for what you've had to go through, I'd do it again in a heartbeat. Right now, there are nomads out hunting for the piece of shit that gave me up to the people who hurt you, and when they find him, I'll kill him too.”

“
And if I said I didn't want you to?”

“
Wouldn't make no difference. I'm sorry, baby girl. He's already a dead man walking.”

“
Do you want to kill him?”

“
Killing comes with a heavy price, Emma. I don't want to kill anyone.”

“
Yet you will.”

“
If I have to.”

“
Deke?”

“
Yeah?”

“
I think I'd like you to hold me now.”

~ oOo ~

She hadn't wanted to spend Christmas day at Tiny and Beth's, but after skipping out of their Thanksgiving party, Emma was feeling a little guilty, and she guessed it beat spending the day in a cold trailer. Much to her relief, she and Deke were the only guests. Even so, after spending the morning helping Beth in the kitchen and watching the kids open their presents, she was exhausted.

Aware of Deke's eyes on her, she forced down another mouthful, telling herself she wouldn't really puke, before pushing her plate away. “I'm going to let Genghis out for a pee.” She needed to escape for a moment, just to catch her breath. Being normal was hard work.

Shivering as the cold air hit her bare arms, Emma leaned on the wall and lit a cigarette as the puppy bounced on his front legs and yapped at the chickens.

“
He don't look much like a Genghis.” Tiny leaned on the wall next to her and handed her a hoodie. “What is he?”