Marek (Knights Corruption MC #1) (22 page)

Sully

Still trembling from Marek’s accusations, I excused myself from the room, quietly disappearing inside the bedroom I’d been staying in.

His
bedroom.

Everywhere I looked, I was reminded of the man who’d forced me to marry him. His clothes hung in the closet, no order to the wardrobe whatsoever. His shoes littered the floor of the small space, strewn about as if he’d literally kicked them off his feet and left them wherever they fell. Crumpled receipts, along with a few watches and old Harley magazines covered the top of his dresser. Dirty laundry was piled up in the corner of his bathroom, even though an actual hamper stood right next to them. His beard trimmer, razors, and brushes littered the top of the small sink, and it was all I could do to take a deep breath and breathe through my anxiety.

Because of the way I preferred things, I began to tidy his room. All the clutter and mess didn’t sit well with me. I tried to ignore it my first two nights, but since he’d told me he wouldn’t be back anytime soon, there was no way I could continue to stay in a room so out of sorts.

A tidy room made me feel as if I had control over some aspect of my life. It gave me a sense of solace, no matter how false it may have been.

I didn’t want to, but I couldn’t help remembering our phone conversation, word for word. Every accusation he’d flung at me tore away a little bit more of my soul. I didn’t trust the man, but he’d given me a sense of safety I’d never had before, only to rip it away with every word he spewed down the line.
What the hell are you doing with Jagger? You lettin’ him fuck you, Sully? Don’t think for one second that I won’t punish you both for going behind my motherfucking back! You think just because I’m not there I wouldn’t find out? Huh?

I should have expected he was going to show his true colors sooner or later—apparently, it had been sooner. I was a fool to think he was any better than Vex or my father, but the way he’d looked at me, the way he’d tried to comfort me when I’d woken up screaming from my nightmares . . . It was all a façade.

Actually, he was worse than the men in my life because at least with them, I knew what I was in for. I knew exactly what they would do and say. But with Marek, I simply had no idea.

Finishing up the mess in the closet, I closed the door to the small space and headed toward the bathroom, but a soft rap on the bedroom door stopped me in my tracks.

“Sully,” Adelaide called out. “Are you okay? Can I come in?”

I never answered, instead pulling the door open and giving her a faltering smile. I couldn’t hide the hurt from my face or from my voice, even though I tried. The last thing I wanted to do was bring her into the mix of what was going on. I had no idea if she would be punished simply for interfering.

Crossing the room to sit on the edge of the bed, she leaned back on her hands and gazed at me, waiting to see if I would speak first. But I let her take the lead, as I did with most people.

“I’m so sorry for what he said to you, Sully.” Her eyes pitied me, and I hated that she felt that way toward me. “Marek is usually pretty easygoing, all things considered. I’m not sure what’s up his ass, but please don’t take it personally,” she pleaded.

“How do you know what he said to me?” I wasn’t used to people interfering on my behalf or conversing with me about things which happened to me. My tone was more curt than I’d intended, but I didn’t think she took any offense to it.

“I got the gist of it when I threatened Jagger.”

“With your uncle again?” A small smile curved my mouth, mimicking her reaction.

“You know it. I can use that man as a threat any time I want to get my way.” She laughed, pushing her hair behind her shoulder, continuing to hold my gaze until she knew I was okay.

“Don’t pay him any mind. Seriously. Don’t worry about it.” Situating herself so she was sitting with her legs tucked underneath her, she continued to try and persuade me to talk. “What did he say when he called you on my phone?”

Playing with my hands in nervousness, I stood in front of her, not quite sure what I was allowed to reveal about my conversations with him, no matter how insignificant. I’d never had anyone to confide in before, and although it was an amazing feeling, it was also a bit frightening. I still wasn’t quite sure who I could trust yet.

Patting the bed beside her, she widened her smile and put me at ease. Climbing next to her, I mirrored her and tucked my own legs under me, resting my hands on my thighs while I spoke. “He just told me he was going to be longer than expected and would call me in a couple days.”

“Yeah, Stone told me that too.”

Before I could filter myself, I blurted, “Are you and Stone together?”

Her eyes widened, her words suddenly caught in her throat. She appeared to be hiding something and wasn’t sure if she should tell me the truth, probably not trusting me completely, much like I acted toward her.

But something inside her forced her to give me tidbits of information. “Can you keep a secret? And I mean from everyone, even Marek?” She looked pensive, but because I so wanted to know a private detail of someone else’s life, I readily agreed. And meant every nod.

“Yes, I promise.”

“We’re not
together
together, but we’ve fooled around before. And, even though I really like him, we can’t be together.” Her expression turned, her sudden unhappiness pressing her lips into a frown while casting its veil over her eyes.

My intrigue forced me closer, all while continuing to give her the personal space she needed. “Why not?”

“It’s complicated really.” She hesitated for a brief moment before continuing. “I’m not part of your . . . their lifestyle, nor do I want to be. I love my uncle dearly, but I never wanted to grow up around what they do, how they ultimately handle themselves and their lives. And he didn’t want that for me either. I’m more than happy to come by and help out when I can, like with Tripp, but other than that, I don’t really want to be associated with the club. And Stone knows that.” She looked dejected, as if she was reminded of a specific conversation she’d had with him.

“Would he ever leave the club? For you?” I knew I sounded like a twit, fantasizing and romanticizing her and Stone’s complicated relationship, but I couldn’t help myself. I’d read my share of romance novels and in those books, the main characters always found a way to work it out, their love conquering everything and all that happy stuff.

Looking at me as if I’d lost my mind, she shook her head and crushed my idiotic thoughts. “He grew up in this club, just like most of the men. He loves the KC, the men are his family. He’ll never leave them for me, and I don’t think I even want him to. He’d resent me if I made him make that choice.” Throwing her head back so she was looking at the ceiling, she continued telling me her innermost secrets as she relaxed in my presence. “He keeps calling me, showing up at the hospital and begging me to be with him. Some days, I think I can be with him fully, give him what he wants . . . what
I
want, but then shit happens, like with Tripp, and I put that wall back up to protect myself. It kills me when I look at him, knowing he’ll never truly be mine.”

I was surprised when a lone tear streaked down her cheek, her thumb quickly brushing it away before her emotions became too much for her. She smiled lazily and straightened up on the bed. “Don’t mind me, Sully. I think I’m getting my period.” She laughed, the air of seriousness suddenly disappearing.

“Well, I think if you really want to be together, you’ll find a way which will suit both of you. But from what I hear, your uncle won’t be too pleased.” I’d witnessed an encounter between Trigger and Stone, and even I was scared of the older man.

“Yeah, there’s that too,” she grimaced.

We finished our conversation and were about to move off the bed when Jagger came crashing into the room, stumbling over his feet and instantly putting us on alert. His dark golden hair stuck up in a few spots, his amber eyes wide in fright while he gave us time to collect ourselves.

“What the hell, Jagger? Where’s the fire?” Adelaide threw at him.

“Funny you should ask,” he rushed. “It’s downstairs.” If what had come out of his mouth hadn’t been so serious, I would have laughed at the frenzied look on his face.

“Oh, shit!” she exclaimed. “My food.” Scrambling off the bed, we all ran downstairs to assess the damage. Luckily, it was only smoke, but whatever Adelaide had been making was burnt to a crisp.

“Looks like pizza it is,” Jagger announced, the two of them busting out into laughter while I stifled my amusement as best I could, a tiny sound escaping my lips to add to the surprise of the free-falling emotions.

Marek

“Are you sure this will be our last shipment,” Stone asked, nervously shoving his messy hair off his face. The guy was pacing, mumbling to himself and making me tense just watching him.

“Yeah, Rafael gave me his word that after this next pickup, he’s shifting his supply to the club in Vegas he’s slowly been using, testing them for the past year to ensure they’re the right fit.” I was as nervous as my VP, but I played my concerns off as mere agitation, trying like hell to calm the air around us.

Stopping mid-stride, he hit me with yet another question. “Why do you really think he sent that asshole to meet with us then, instead of coming himself?”

“Not sure. I guess we’ll find out soon enough.” Rico Yanez called five minutes ago to let us know he would be arriving shortly. Normally, we didn’t have meetings with anyone from Los Zappas cartel on club grounds, but there was too much heat on them nowadays to be seen out in public places meeting with the likes of two bikers. The three of us together would look way too suspicious. After making sure he wasn’t being tailed, he’d arrive at the compound and disappear between the concealing metal gates.

Leaning forward with my arms resting on my thighs, a small bead of sweat gathered on my brow. The meeting Stone and I were about to have was of the utmost importance, our futures being decided in the next half hour.

Were we still gonna be in bed with the cartel, unwillingly going along with constantly risking not only prison, but death as well?

Or were we finally gonna be able to breathe the fresh air of legitimacy for the first time in over six decades? Having been on the wrong side of the law for at least that long.

We realized that, if we were indeed free after this last run, there would be initial blowback from our enemy. But once some time had passed and they were no longer strong enough to be a threat, we could start to really enjoy our lives.

Shit, I didn’t even know what that would feel like.

A loud rapping on the Chambers door tore both Stone and me from our anxiousness. “He’s here, Marek!” Salzer yelled from the hallway. He was one of the original members of the Laredo charter, old as hell with a mean streak to boot. If someone found themselves on his shit list, look out. His physical appearance was deceiving. A full head of white hair, a clean-shaven face and a dimple in his left cheek made him seem like someone’s sweet old grandpa, though he was anything but. Most overlooked his temper because he was loyal as hell, willing to take a bullet for any one of his fellow brothers, home and charters alike. It didn’t matter. And no one could ask for better than that.

My VP and I walked out toward the front entrance of the clubhouse just as Yanez and another man were ushered inside. It didn’t surprise me one bit that he’d brought someone along with him, since I probably would have done the same thing had the roles been reversed. In our world, you couldn’t trust a lot of people, especially virtual strangers.

A quick jerk of my head and the two men from Los Zappas followed us to a back room. The only people allowed to enter Chambers were actual club members, and although what we were going to discuss was technically club business, there was no way in Hell the likes of the cartel were going to be allowed inside those doors. Sacred shit and all that.

After we were all seated, I wasted no time in getting down to business. “So,” I started. “I was hoping to meet with Carrillo face to face, but he assured me I could finalize through you.” I eyed Yanez cautiously, his dark, beady eyes assessing me right back. His gaze flicked from me to Stone, and back to me again. I had no idea what he was expecting to happen, other than confirming the last run the Knights Corruption would make for Los Zappas.