Shadow (Defenders MC Book 1) (4 page)

8

Shadow caught Lacey as she paled and fainted.  What the hell was she doing in the clubhouse all alone?  Hadn’t anybody told her how dangerous it could be? She had been mortified by what she’d seen and he wondered what exactly she had scared her so bad.  He hoped it wasn’t the sight of him.

He looked up and found Lawless lounging against the wall wearing a calculating expression.  “What the fuck are you looking at you asshole?”

Law raised a brow.  “One fucked up son of a bitch it looks like to me.”

“Fuck you Law.  Stay away from Lacey.”

“I’ll do what I damned well please and I don’t take orders from a pussy whipped law loving fucker like you.”

“That’s enough Law.”  Ace stepped up beside Shadow.  “Get her the fuck out of here and make sure your girl knows she can’t be in here alone until she’s patched.”

Law raised his brow, but Shadow ignored his question and stepped away.

“Hey,” He said to the whore who had just left his bed, who was currently grinding against another brother.  “Did you clean up your fucking mess before you left my damn room?”

Her eyes rounded as she looked up and shook her head. 

“Get your ass up there and change my fucking sheets before I make you my favorite fucking toy.”  He made his voice grow cold and knew he scared the shit out of the girl, stupid bitch.  She jumped from his brother’s lap and scurried up the stairs, ass shaking and tits bouncing.  The man on the couch laughed and shook his head at Shad.

“Man I don’t know what the fuck you do to those new girls but they just about piss themselves when you walk in the room.  Not a mark on her though so it can’t be too bad.”  He raised a brow at the woman in Shad’s arms.  “Will this one be shivering in my lap later too?”  His eyes ran over Lacey’s body.  “Can’t say that I’d mind.”

The look Shad sent the man must have answered the question because he held up his hand and laughed.

“No problem brother, I’ve got an old lady too.  Better get her patched before you get her stolen.”  The man nodded to Lacey.

Shadow’s jaw hardened.

Shadow walked off without a word.  He did not need an old lady.  Maybe he needed to fuck Lacey and get her out of his system, but he did not need her in his life.  He looked down at her pale face and squeezed a little tighter.  Who was he kidding, she was part of him and whether he liked it or not she was there to stay.

Lacey woke to an enraged roar and a crash that shook the bed.

“Who the fuck do you think you are?” 

Lacey sat up to find Preach dragging Shadow out of bed by his foot. Shadow hit the floor with a thud.

“Damn it Preach would you fucking look at her?  She is still dressed man, I didn’t touch her!  Get your damn hands off me!”  Shadow roared as he shook off Preach’s grasp and stood.  His bare chest heaved with his anger and Lacey was mesmerized by the expanse of flesh.  She shook her head to try to clear it.

Both men were breathing hard.  Lacey looked to the window and found it still dark. What had happened?  She stood and felt the world spin for a moment until it righted itself.  She held her churning stomach as she placed herself between the two men, which was probably not the best idea, but the only thing that came to mind.

“Look at me, I’m fine. What the hell is going on and why was I in bed with him?”  She meant to point but since they were all standing so close she poked Shadow in the chest and he growled.

“I have a name Lacey.”

She was speechless for a beat as she felt the warmth from his chest flow up her finger and up her arm to center in her chest.  She had to clear her throat to speak.  She was proud that her voice only shook a little. 

“Really?  I’ve only ever heard you referred to as Shadow.”  Oh she would regret that and she could see it in his face.  He was no longer emotionless, his face was filled with raw emotion, anger, fear, pain, and everything in-between.  This is what frightened that girl and it frightened her too.  Lacey felt like a little girl and she wanted to hide from this man who was the embodiment of every girl’s worst nightmare.  She backed up against Preach and was comforted by his warmth.  She wanted to run from the intensity she saw in Shadow's eyes, but it wasn’t the first time she had seen it, he had looked at her that way twice before, the night her parents were murdered and the night her grandma was murdered.  It still scared her.

“My name is Marcus,” he whispered, “You can call me that if it makes me less scary to you.”

The unquenchable pain in his eyes made Lacey reach out and touch his cheek.  He grabbed her wrist and leaned into her palm as his eyes slid closed.

“I don’t want you to be scared of me Lacey.  I didn’t hurt you.  You fainted and I wanted you to be safe so I brought you to my room so I could watch over you.  I would never hurt you.”  His voice was so broken that Lacey could barely hear his words.  She heard the door close quietly behind her and knew that Preach had heard enough to know she would be safe with Shadow.  “I didn’t know where to go, but I kept you safe.”

“Oh Marcus, what happened to you?” 

Shadow pulled Lacey into his arms and kissed the top of her head.  She could hear the steady beat of his heart and feel the warmth of his skin. 

“Stay tonight?  Just like this?  I swear I won’t hurt you.”

Lacey knew it was a horrible idea but she nodded, unwilling to cause him any more pain.

“I won’t have sex with you Marcus.”  She whispered and found that using his name did make her less afraid.  He seemed real.  He felt real and he smelled… she felt herself weaken.

“I’m not asking you to.”  He whispered with his lips against her hair.

“Did you sleep with that other girl tonight?”

“I fucked her Lacey and I terrify her.  I always scare them.”  He looked into her eyes.  “I don’t want to scare you.  I was trying to get you out of my head.  I couldn’t.”

“Can we please change the sheets at least?”

Shadow let out a little grunt of laughter and the sadness faded away.  “Done babe, no fucking way your sweet ass is laying in dirty sheets.  Not ever.”  He kissed her head again and released her. “You can wear one of my shirts and my shorts if you want to.”

“Ok.”

He nodded and handed her the clothes as he pulled them from his dresser.  “There’s and extra toothbrush in the sink drawer if you want and babe… you want.”

Lacey laughed and covered her mouth.  “Thank you Marcus.”

Lacey went into the bathroom and got ready for bed, still smiling.  She knew she was crazy, she knew she should go home, but her head hurt and her stomach still felt queasy.  She just wanted to sleep.  She climbed in beside Shadow and he pulled her into his big warm body.  Tonight he would just be Marcus and she could handle that.  For one night she could have him and he would be a real person instead of a phantom.

“Preach is sending me on a run tomorrow, ‘cause he thinks I’m fucked up.  I should be back mid-week.  Can I call you while I’m gone?”  He whispered against her hair as he inhaled her scent.

“Yes.” Lacey whispered as her heart began to race.  What had just happened and did she like it?

“Are you ok Lacey?  You still look pale.”  He caressed her face with the backs of his fingers.

“I think I just need to sleep.”

Shadow pressed his lips to her temple.  “Sleep babe.  You are safe here.  You are always safe with me, remember?  I have always kept you safe.”

She did remember.  She remembered Preach telling her that the night her life had been shattered and she trusted Preach above anyone else.

9

Marcus crept from beneath the old trailer his mother lived in.  It had been ten days since she had started playing these weird games.  It had been his eighth birthday.  Mama had said it was time for Marcus to learn to be a man.  He had seen the soul deep sadness in her eyes even as a boy.  He understood that there were things she couldn't tell him and that she felt she was somehow protecting him, giving him a chance.

It has happened only a week after she had caught one of her visitors in his bedroom.  Marcus hadn't known what the man had been up to at the time but he'd been afraid.  Mama had fought with the man until he hit her, but she never backed down and she never left Marcus alone with him like he'd wanted.

The man had been furious.  He had torn at Mama's clothes and hurt her.  He had forced Marcus to watch as he did things to mama Marcus didn't understand, but Mama always made sure she kept her boy safe, always.

When the man had left Mama had showered for a long time and when she came out she had held Marcus close and told him how brave he was, just like his daddy.

Marcus knew that Mama knew where he was.  She left the door unlocked so he could eat and shower.  She had showed him how to get into this little cubby and he wondered why.

“Marcus?  Come here baby.”

Marcus stayed very still.  It was part of the game.

“Chocolate Ripple!”  She said and laughed a little.

Marcus scrambled from the hole that was his door.

“Mama?”

“Yes baby.  I need you to be my big boy ok?”

She ran her trembling hand over his black hair and smiled sadly.

“I need you to hide Marcus”

“I have been Mama.”  Marcus sounded small and scared and he was.

“It's different this time baby.  I need you to hide in the woods tonight.  There are some people coming tonight and you aren't safe tonight.”  She handed him and envelope.

“Take this baby, if anything happens tonight and the men don't leave by morning I need you to take that letter and put it in the big blue mailbox beside your school.  Can you do that for me baby? Its very important Marcus.  Can you do it for mama?”

Marcus knew where the big blue mailbox was, mama had showed him many times before.  It would be a long walk since it was summer and he couldn't ride the big yellow bus.

“I'm scared mama.”

His mother hugged him tight.  “I need to know you can do this.”

“I can mama.”  Marcus took a deep breath and nodded.

She handed him a backpack.

“I know this is heavy sweet boy, it has all of our important things inside.  Take care of it baby.”

“Mama, come too.  Please.  I can show you where we can be safe.”

She smiled down at him with her sad green eyes.

“They will look for me baby.  After tonight we will be safe, we will get away.  Please baby, don't come near the trailer.  Don't come inside unless I say....” then she smiled the smile Marcus loved best.  “What shall it be this time?”

Marcus loved this part of the game.  He couldn't come out unless mama said the secret word.  They used ice cream flavors and always went to get some after he did a good job.

“Peanut butter chocolate chip!”  He laughed and knew he would taste the sweet concoction the next day.

“You got it!  Peanut butter chocolate chip with whipped cream and a cherry?”

Mama always asked that and Marcus always wrinkled his nose just so she would laugh.  She knew he didn't like cherries.  Her laugh was like music to Marcus and the breeze caught her red hair and ruffled it around her face.  Marcus knew that there couldn't be a prettier woman in all the world as his mama.

“Remember, peanut butter chocolate chip.”  She hugged him tightly then.  “I love you Marcus.  Close your eyes.” 

He did and she placed a small carton of chocolate ripple ice cream and a little wooden spoon.

“Let's get through this one more night baby.  Everything will be better tomorrow.”

Marcus hugged his mother tightly.  He knew something was going to happen and he knew his mama was scared.

“I love you mama.”

He watched until mama went inside and then he scurried to the cover of the woods.

Marcus rubbed his eyes and tried to wake up.  The dream was always the same.  It had been the last time he had seen his mother.

He remembered being cold and hungry for two days before he crawled back under his trailer and curled into his blanket.  The roar of motorcycles woke him.  The sun was sinking low, it was the time he hated most.  The time when shadows dances and taunted him.

He heard raised voices.  He heard a man calling mama, but not the name she used with the other men, her real name.  She only let one man call her Lindsey, Preacherman, the man he sent the letter to.  The man mama said he could always trust.  His father.

Shadow let his eyes fall on the woman sleeping in his bed.  How could he possibly be the kind of man she needed?  He couldn't even smile at her.  Was he wrong to want to keep her?  Should he walk away like his father had done?  Lacey was stronger than mama.  She would be fine and she didn’t have the worry of a child to take care of. 

He knew he needed to leave her behind, but he wanted to keep her and he had never wanted anything.  He had wanted to keep her since she had touched his arm the night her parents died.  Preach hadn’t taken him seriously then and then claimed they were too young when Shad had claimed her again at eighteen and again at twenty-one.  It had been ten years since he’d had that talk with Preach and he thought it was time to have it again.