Tank: Apaches MC (3 page)

This is probably my cue to go. I’m not one to get a turf war started inside of a hospital waiting room. But I can’t seem to make myself move—despite that kid with the black leather jacket and the oversized jeans staring back at me like I just murdered his puppy. I’m not too concerned though. If he was worth anything but a glance in my direction, I would have known his face.

I know all the kids, the killers, the runners. I know their families, their hangout spots, their addresses. It’s my job as president of the biggest and baddest club in El Paso to know this stuff. If I didn’t, I probably would have been whacked off years ago by one of my rivals. And that’s how I know that this young gun, no more than eighteen or nineteen, isn’t going to do shit to me. At least not here.

I watch him without blinking as he takes a breath and turns back towards the girl. That girl with the chocolate brown eyes and the smooth skin the color of moist sand on a hot day. Even though it only lasted seconds, I can still feel the steam that radiated off her body. Sure, she dresses like a schoolgirl and talks like she’s got her nose stuck in a book, but I could make it work.

Unlike other girls, the ones who practically crawl to me on their hands in knees, begging for me to just stick the tip of my cock in their mouths, this one is going to be a challenge. She would be like riding in a dust storm—no sight of what’s ahead but a good destination to get to. And the way she walks, how her hand flits and twists by that apple-shaped ass of hers, that destination would be worth putting the effort to get there.

My mouth pools with spit, as I think of pushing her down on that leather sofa in the corner. I’d use my teeth to pull up that hideous dress of hers and yank down whatever virgin white panties she’s wearing. I can just imagine her taste… honey…like the freckles that dot her lean shoulder blades. And those tits! Jesus. I’m tired of the little cherries that the girls in the club have. I want the juiciest melons…like hers.

I lean back against the wall, letting my head drift towards the ceiling. I need a minute to compose myself, get back to Tank the Apache. Tank the Lover has got no place here. There’s business to attend to, and the way this girl is making me feel after mere minutes of being with her, I’m going to need all the strength I can get to pull through.

After a long, dragging moment, I come back to Earth in time to catch the kid and the girl walk hand in hand through the door of the ICU. I put on my sunglasses and follow them as quickly as possible. My long, huge strides pound on the ground, causing her to turn back towards me. She whispers desperately into the ear of the boy as they pick up speed.

As they near the door to the girl’s room, the cop she was talking to stands quickly and blocks their entrance. I hang back, attempting to listen in on their conversation. The boy in the leather jacket is not happy, but then again, after the girl had ratted him out to the cops, I had suspected this wasn’t going to end happily for anyone.

“What the fuck do you mean I can’t go see my sister? Why the fuck not? Do you think I did this to her? Do you?!” I can see the rivets of his veins stick out across his neck. He has rage and fury; I like and admire that.

The girl places her tiny hands with bright pink nail polish on his chest and gently pushes him back a few steps. I hate to admit it, but I can’t help but feel a little bit jealous of that. She has a touch that, even from afar, looks like it could soothe a giant like me. Her soft but stern voice calms the situation. “It’s okay,” she coos. “It’s going to be okay. We’ll just go talk to the nurse and see what we can do. Okay, Anthony?”

The man lowers his head and walks back towards where I’m hanging out. He doesn’t even register my presence. I keep my eyes looking straightforward, hoping the cop notices me. When he finally looks my way, I can see him react as they all do. He stands up, backs away a few steps, and looks over his shoulder. The man knows exactly who I am.

I stride towards him, my chest puffed out, my arms bulging to my side. I place a hand on his shoulder, sitting him back down on the chair. He stutters nervously as he explains, “I-I d-did I didn’t know that was one of your guys, Tank.”

I chuckle to myself. I would never be as stupid as Abe to send a young troop member out to the hospital alone after an attack. That’s a rookie mistake. “He ain’t mine. But don’t mess with him either. I’m tryin’ get info on what happened, too. What d’ya know about it?”

I can see his hand shake and tremble, as he grips the metal bottom of his chair. His voice is a little stronger, but it still wavers as he says, “Just that the girl was found outside her apartment building in an alley. The girl there is her roommate, but she seems like she’s in the know—”

I cut him off and walk towards the nurse’s station, where the two are standing, waiting for someone to help them. The boy’s eyes grow wider as I get closer—so much so that the girl turns around quickly. Her head lands straight on my chest, knocking her backwards towards the ground. Before she can land, my arms scoop her back, as she falls like a ragdoll into me.

“Watch yo’self, girl. You’re not a patient, yet.” Her eyes sparkle like small crystals hidden in a cave as she searches my eyes. I dip her back further, like I’ve seen frilly guys do in movies, but she doesn’t appreciate it. Instead, she pulls herself away in a huff, brushing herself off, as if I managed to get dirt on her.

The man she’s with has had enough. He pushes her aside as he whispers harshly, “What the fuck are you doing here, Tank?”

I bow my head a bit, concealing a coy smile. “So I see you know me. Good. I won’t have to do any introductions.”

“Of course I know who you are. You’re the bastard who ordered a hit on my sister!” The man has guts. No one, not even my own daddy, ever talks to me like that. The girl cowers behind him, unsure of what to do to stop him this time.

“My boys didn’t do this. We got a code, and you should know that. No families, especially not girls like that. Why would she or you be valuable to me? I’m here for answers. I don’t take kindly to any man or club pulling a cheap ass stunt like this shit. And if someone’s trying to frame me for this, I want to figure it out first so I can nail them before you wussies over at the Aztecs get a chance.”

He pauses, staring at me as I calmly state my case. With nothing to add, he points a finger directly at my face and says, “Screw you man!”

“Son, I don’t want no trouble—at least not here. You have beef with me, that’s fine. I get it that Abe’s got you running scared. But I just got that cop to give you a pass after this little thing managed to nail you as a MC member.” The girl’s face goes instantly red, pink, and copper. She bites her lip nervously, and I try to think of all the ways I could make her do that again.

When neither of them moves, I wave my hands towards the sister’s door, ushering them to try again. The girl pushes through the brother and walks quickly past me and the cop. I listen to her backpack thud on the ground and a small cry seep out of her mouth. The brother, however, stares at me unmoving. It’s not until the girl calls his name before he backs down from his station. As he passes, he pushes into my shoulders. It’s a pop shot I’ll give him for now. Next time, I won’t go so easy on him for that little sign of disrespect.

“I’m coming, Sierra.”
Sierra
. There’s that name.
Sierra
. Even turning it over in my head is making my skin bubble and prick. It’s as smooth as that mane of hair she’s got and as soft as the curves of her body. I’ve had girls I’ve been into before, but for some reason, I can brush those off quickly. She lingers. She’s a ghost of moments past, present, and—hopefully—future.

I head back towards the waiting room, unsure of what my next move is going to be. This has been a dead end from start to finish. There’s nothing here that I didn’t already know. Someone wanted this to look like it was my handiwork. But whoever did it, certainly didn’t consider whom they were messing with and what my creds were.

I sit back down on the couch and grab my phone. I pick one of the saved group numbers and quickly punch in a text:
Emergency meeting. 4 PM. Clubhouse. All higher ups expected. No BS excuses.
  

I hit the send button just in time to see Sierra walk past me in a breeze. Tears are streaming down her face, and in her rush, I can just make out the black lines dribbling across her cheeks from her eyes. Something in me tells me to leave it alone, this isn’t my business, but I have to go. I dart up and follow her towards the elevator. I make it just in time to get my hand in as she gasps in shock.

“What the hell are you doing?!” she screams at me, as I pry the door open. I don’t even look at the buttons. Wherever she’s going, I’m going.

“I’m walking you out to your car or whatever. Your roommate was already hit. You don’t need to act a fool and be next.” A swell of pride rises up in me. I’m not usually protective. I couldn’t give a damn about what happens to folks other than my own family, but I suddenly want to make sure she gets to where she needs to go.

She looks at me from the corner of her eyes, as she manages to make herself sink even further back in the corner of the elevator away from me. Her voice coldly replies, “I don’t need your help, thank you very much. I’m a big girl. I know how to get myself home.”

“I’m sure your girl said the same thing last night.”
Ouch
. I know that’s too far. I’ve crossed some line. I wait for the payback. She doesn’t miss a beat. I feel her charge at me, her arm raised towards my face. I could back away or stop her, but I don’t. I deserve this. 

The slap stings as much as the sound rings out. She manages to connect with my jaw, an impressive hit for a girl nearly two feet shorter than me. I catch her hand on the rebound as she hesitates. I can tell she is considering going in for another one. It’s obviously been a long and hard day for her, and I wasn’t making it any easier.

With her wrist clenched in my fist, I walk her towards the elevator’s buttons and quickly hit the “stop” button. Her eyes pop from her delicate face as she realizes what I have just done. She tries to pull away, but I hold her still, up against the brown Formica of the elevator wall as I press a hand to the burning sensation forming around my jaw. Just like when she touched me before, her skin has managed to leave an impression on me.

She tries to move out from under me, but I can’t let her go. I do something dangerous, something bold. I push up against her body. My hips rest up against her stomach and my face lowers towards her neck. As I speak, I can see the hairs along her neck stand up and react to my breath on her skin. But she doesn’t flinch. She remains as steadfast as possible. She doesn’t want to give me anything. “I’ll give you that one, girly.”

She cuts me off as she turns her head towards mine. Our lips almost touch as she adds bitterly, “It’s Sierra. My name is Sierra.”

“Sierra,” I slur almost excitedly and push even deeper into her petite frame. “But the next one better come when we’re in bed together. I like a girl who can pack a little punch.” All those feelings and imaginations I was having just moments earlier in the waiting room are coming back to me in waves. And though I want to take her right here and right now, I am practically begging my body to not grow stiff despite her tits resting up against my chest and moving with her hitched breath.

Despite her body almost sinking into mine at the mention of foreplay, her face twists as she stares at me, disgusted. “I would never—”

“Save it, Sierra. I know you’re gonna protest. You’re an Aztec girl. You could never be with an Apache. Blah, blah, blah.” I make my voice high pitched and girly. I’ve heard this argument before. But I’ve managed to convert even the hard-core Aztec ladies in my day. She wasn’t exactly like one those gals, but I could still hope to leave an impression.

“It’s not that.” She corrects me quickly. “I could never, ever be with someone whose men would touch someone like Carmen. She’s a good girl. She’s never caused trouble. We got out of the neighborhood for reasons like this shit. She even wanted Anthony to get out of the business. But men like you and Abe—”

“Don’t compare me to that little faggot,” I snap. Abe and I have a history that’s way deeper than our clubs crossing territories or him being a president of a rival club. And at this moment, with her body up against mine, his name is the last I want to hear or even think about at the moment.

She finishes her thought proudly, as if she’s standing up to the entire system. Her voice punctuates through the air, as she stares me directly in my eyes. “You and Abe are the reason she’s in there right now—even if you didn’t order the attack yourself. At least Abe would never touch a woman.”