Pan's Salvation (3 page)

Demon sighed. “Loose ends were snipped?”

“Yeah, but that’s not the problem.”

“I don’t like the sound of it.”

“Someone got caught in the crossfire. I couldn’t let them kill her, so I took her on. Just until this shit is done and I can let her go on her way.”

“You sound like you got everything under control. What’s the problem?”

“She was running something that could get us into trouble because it didn’t get delivered.

The owners aren’t someone we don’t want to piss off.”

“Be less vague,” Demon snapped, all business. His words were clipped and short.

“Yayo and not in a small amount.”

“Fuck. Cartel?”

“Of course,” Pan replied wryly.

“Shit.”

“If we skip town, her sister’s life could be in the balance. I don’t want a woman’s blood on my hands, Pres. Not when it ain’t necessary.”

“I hear you. What do you want to do?”

“Personally deliver that shit, so we can’t be pinned on missing goods.”

“Sounds like a solid plan. You calling to get my blessing?”

“Yeah and backup, if necessary. We’re going to be crossing the border and Hell’s Minions have itchy trigger fingers.”

“I’m going to send some boys out.”

“That’s a good idea. But this can’t wait. Every minute that ticks by is another log being added to the fire. By now, I’m sure they’re chomping at the bit and searching for Lark.”

“Lark, huh?”

“I had to call her something it made sense, it would be her name.”

“Right. Watch yourself. You don’t know this girl for shit. You let your guard down around the wrong woman and the results can be deadly. People that hang around Cartels ain’t the kind of folks who care about clear consciousness.”

“I don’t think she fits under the category,” Pan protested. “This whole thing revolves around her addict sister.”

“Shit, even worse. People can tear themselves up over family.”

Pan cleared his throat. Demon’s words weren’t lost on him. As a twin, he’d always felt like his brother’s keeper. The position had led him into his own private hell.

“I’ll get some boys on it. First thing, I’ll send Lefty, Steel and Suave. They’ll wait for your call with coordinates on our side of the border. If you need them to cross the line, just give ‘em a holler. Get the contact number from the girl and I’ll negotiate with them.”

“Alright,” Pan replied, relieved Demon was stepping in and handling things. He could

follow directions to the letter, but heavy responsibility made him nervous. There were too many things that could go wrong and the past proved he was a fuck up. They hung up. He smacked his lips and swallowed, moistening his dry mouth. He longed for a drink. On business, he kept his wits about him. Other than a beer here or there, he didn’t indulge. The bottle had become his escape and right now, he’d like to drift off to oblivion. He shoved his phone into his cut and re-entered the room.

Lark leaned against a dresser. With her hair tamed and the splatter of blood gone, she looked hot.

His dick twitched in his pants.
Wrong time.
“You got the contact number?”

“In my purse, wherever that is.”

“We’re going to take a ride to the Minion's complex and pick up your shit. You’re going to keep your gaze away from theirs and remain quite, like the good little girl I know you can pretend to be.”

She huffed.

“They’re not the type of men you want to piss off and they’re looking for any reason to get you. Don’t give them the opportunity. I promise you, there nowhere near as nice as I am.”

The defiance in her eyes acted like an aphrodisiac to his system. He cleared his throat and rolled his neck. The vertebrae crackling.

“Don’t you think I should change?” She gestured to her torn and bloodied top.

“It’s dark outside and even if it wasn’t, no one is this town would dare pull us over.”

Wonder filled her eyes.

“You don’t know much about M.C.’s do you?”

She shook her head.

“I bet you always follow the rules don’t you?”

She clenched her jaw and gave a curt nod.

“If you’re such a goody two-shoes, how the hell did your sister end up in this predicament?”

She looked away.

“I’m still waiting, Lark,” he barked.

She shifted her weight. “Because people deal with things differently.”

“What the hell does that mean?”

“Addiction’s in our blood. We spent our childhood watching our mother battle heroin

addiction. It wasn’t pretty, easy or anything I want to talk about. I threw myself into my work.

Education equaled freedom in my eyes. Robin didn’t see it that way. She went to the streets, seeking attention and numbness and like always, the greedy bastards welcomed her with open arms. The wrong elements drug her along and in the blink of an eye, it was too late to save her from drowning because she was hooked.” Her eyes became glassy with unshed tears.

“A Robin and a Lark both with broken wings.”

She sniffled. “Original.”

He shrugged. “Got your mind off things, didn’t it?”

She snorted. “I’m getting the Pan moniker now.”

“You trying to say I’m immature?”

She shook her head. “Just lighthearted and caring, when maybe you shouldn’t be. This is my problem and once we get through this, I’ll take care of it. I’ve never asked for help before and I won’t now.”

“You think I’m just going to leave the two of you down there in Mexico with no

protection?”

She shrugged.

“Fuck that. I’m seeing your ass back across the line. Maybe you don’t give a shit what

happens to the two of you, because you want to hold on to what’s left of your pride. But I don’t want that burden on my soul. It’s black enough.” His thoughts rolled over to his brother, Monster. He caused the fire that stole his brother’s ability to live a normal life. Burned on over fifty percent of his body, Monster spent years, ostracized, demonized and ignored.
But he’s
happy now.
Pan stomped down the little voice. A year of happiness didn’t negate over twenty years of the exact opposite. That burden made him go the extra mile for Lark.

Maybe it made him feel less like dog shit on the bottom of someone’s shoe. Relief from the demons that plagued him and the bottle that was leading him down the same path of his father before him. It was a path he’d been on already and to change this would be nothing short of a miracle at this point. Even now, he could feel the slight tremors of his hand. He needed a drink in the worst way. He half thought his president sent him here to make him take a serious break from the bottle and his brother. Seeing Monster besotted with his wife and fawning over the baby, made him look at himself and how much he didn’t have.

It was a fucked up loop that fed on his self-hate. Sick of his emotions, he strode toward the door and opened it. “Let’s go Lark and remember…it’s either me or the Minions.”

“Like you had to remind me.”

“Something tells me you got a streak of stupid that comes out when it comes to your sister or what you perceive as getting help from someone. In this world, you don’t exist. Don’t try anything else stupid, cause it’ll be both our asses strung up for it. You get me?”

“Yeah, I get you.”

“Alright.” He gestured for her to walk ahead of him. Pan shut the door behind him,

following her out. It wasn’t the type of place where they expected you to return your keys in person, so he bypassed the desk and headed out the side entrance into the night. He guided her to his bike. “You ever been on one of these before?”

“Yeah, I know the drill.”

Her response peaked his curiosity. She was a woman with a million secrets, enough pride to get herself into trouble and a body that went on for days. It’d been months since he saw anything more than his misery. It made him more interested in her than he should be. He climbed on the bike and she slid on behind him, enclosing him in her thick thighs. He cranked the engine and cleared his throat, adjusting in his seat to keep from squashing his hard on.

She wrapped her arms around his waist and plastered herself to his back.

Her breasts were full and her nipples were hard. They pressed into his leather vest, making his jeans even tighter. There was something between them that had nothing to do with their roles of kidnapper and victim. Pulling out of the parking lot, he shut down the thoughts coming from the head between his legs and let the one in his cranium take over. Business always came first.

They pulled into the parking lot
and Lark hid her horror. The men had killed a man in cold blood and would’ve done the same to her had it not been for this man who’s heart didn’t match his exterior. Both his arms boasted full sleeves. Red, Blue and black symbols of hearts, swallows, dice, along with other things blended together seamlessly. Thanks to her favorite show,
Inked
, she recognized the style as American Traditional. She slid off the bike and clutched her hands behind her back.

This world was new and terrifying. Anything that stole her power made her sick. After a lifetime of being controlled by a manic mother, she’d vowed to never let it happen again. She’d broken up with men at the first sign of possessiveness. Now, she had to trust the devil she knew.

Shoving her shaking hands into the pockets of her shorts, she took deep breaths and willed her nerves to steady.

Pan climbed off the bike and she studied his face. The five o’clock shadow that lined his jaw added to his rugged appeal.

“You remember what I told you?” He narrowed his eyes. His thick blond brows coming

together.

The intensity of his stare, unnerved her. “Yes, I remember.”

“Alright, let’s get this over with then. The time frame we have is a small one. I’m going in, paying my respects and we’ll hit the road.”

She rocked onto the back of her heels and nodded.

“Alright, let’s go.”

His deep voice resonated through her body. He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her to his side. The hard hot length of his body did funny things to her belly. He was her safety net and the hand that controlled her. It made her head spin. In a heightened state of awareness after the earlier trauma, her body responded to the smallest hint of stimulation. Her nipples puckered. The smell of leather and man filled her nose. She leaned her weight against him, ashamed that she didn’t have to pretend to feel a little weak in the knees and submissive.
Am I
that hard up for sex?
What could be no more than a few yards seemed like miles, as they traversed the blacktop filled with motorcycles and a handful of black cars. They stopped in front of the door and Pan knocked.

The door opened. A burly man with broad shoulders, hard black eyes and a shaven head

peered down at them. “Glad to see you Pan. I thought maybe the little devil woman slit your throat and escaped.”

“Naw, she’s learned her place.” He patted her ass.

Lark bit her tongue, killing the protest that threatened to spill.

The doorman chuckled. “Good. I’d like to see you do a public punishment after what she did to Glider.”

Glider, don’t any of them have real names?

“That fire is going to translate well to other things if you know what I mean,” Pan drawled.

They talked about her as if she wasn’t there. It was a chilling experience. Like Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz, she’d landed in a strange world she didn’t understand.

Doorman chuckled and stepped back, letting him in.

“I came to pay my respects to Winger and get on the road.”

“Last I saw him he was at the bar. You might want to hurry before he’s indisposed for the night.”

“Shit.” Pan rushed off, dragging her behind him.

Lark stumbled along beside him. Stunned by the activities going on around them. The

skunk-like smell of weed embedded itself into her nostrils. Lines of coke were being done off tables and the tits of scantily dressed woman. Her jaw dropped open.

“Don’t look too hard, they’ll think you want to join in.”

Her wide eyes turned to Pan.
He can’t be serious!

He laughed.

She couldn’t tell if he meant it or not, but she didn’t want to find out.

They came to a halt at a massive dark wood bar occupied by a line of men and woman. The bikini wearing bartender slung drink after drink with an impressive expertise. They stopped in front of a lethal looking man with long black hair, a weathered round face and cold blue eyes. A woman sat on his lap, rubbing her body against him like a bitch in heat. He glanced her way.

Lark dropped her gaze and stepped closer to Pan. His massive shoulders blocked her from view. It was a small barrier she savored.

“I see that little bitch is already learning her place.”

His voice was a low rumble that turned her blood cold. He didn’t know her, not really, but he spoke with such hatred.

“She’ll train up real good.”

“You keeping her, then?” The leather of his barstool squeaked.

“It’s going to take me some time to get the payback I want out of her. I’ll be wearing this off-center nose for the rest of my life. She should remember me for the same length of time.”