The Cut by Carol Lynne: Kings of Bedlam MC Series, Book One (14 page)

He looked up at Santana and couldn’t help but chuckle through his pain. Fuck. “Jakob’s a name that I don’t identify with, but I like the thought of you calling me your big, juicy piece of meat.”

“Hot piece of meat,” she corrected with a slight grin on her gorgeous face.

“Anyway, the reason I told you is because I need you to understand that I feel about you the same way you feel about me. You’re the first person I’ve ever let in, and the thought of you going anywhere near Gordon again makes me sick to my stomach. I’m supposed to protect you. That’s my job.” He wanted to tell her he’d killed men for less, but even though he was dissatisfied with his chapter, he refused to spill details of club business.

Instead, he decided to change the subject. “You know that trip to Fayetteville I told you about?”

“Yes.”

“I want us to make the trip permanent. I’ve asked to transfer chapters.” He knew it was the best thing for both of them. However, he would also need to reach out to one of his friends in the Fayetteville chapter of the Kings to help pave the way because, unfortunately, getting Cecil’s permission was only the first hurdle. The Fayetteville chapter would have to accept him into their club. “I’ve already got a good friend there. His name’s Gypsy. You’ll like him.”

“You want me to move there with you?” she seemed shocked by the idea. “What if I get there and you change your mind about me?”

He cupped her face in his hands. “Not gonna happen. How many times do I have to tell you, you’re it for me?” Hell, he’d tell her every day if he needed to.

“Take me to bed,” she said, pulling her T-shirt off over her head.

Stake stood with Santana still wrapped around him. He’d spend every hour making love to her until he had to make the trip to San Antonio.

* * * *

Tiny cut the Harley’s engine, and Santana climbed off. She couldn’t believe she’d agreed to go swimming with him. The small lake on his grandfather’s land had been one of their favorite places to go when they were growing up, but it had been a long time since she’d gone swimming. “It looks smaller,” she noted, setting her helmet on the bike seat.

He snorted. “It’s the same size, we’re just bigger.”

She stared up at the six-foot-seven-inch man and laughed. “Some of us bigger than others.”

Tiny picked her up and tossed her over his shoulder. “You’ll pay for that.”

She laughed and beat her hands against his heavily muscled back. “Let me down!”

“Not gonna happen, squirt. I’ve waited years to toss you into this lake.” He reached the water’s edge and lifted her off his shoulder. As if she weighed nothing, he began to swing her back and forth over the water.

“Please, Tiny?” she begged. “I don’t want to get my clothes wet.”

“Nope.” He released her and she flew through the air, her arms and legs waving wildly until she hit the surface. She sank under the water before coming up sputtering.

“I can’t believe you just did that.” She laughed again, splashing him as she waded back to the shore. It felt good to have her friend back. “You’re an ass.”

He kicked off his boots before pulling his shirt over his head.

“Jeez, Tiny.” She couldn’t believe the man in front of her was the same dork she’d been friends with for so many years. Not only was every inch of his torso and arms covered in black tats, but it appeared as though the man lived in a gym.

He flexed his muscles. “How do you think I get so much pussy? Sure as hell isn’t my face.”

“I’ve always liked your face. Well, at least until you started growing that beard. Seriously, you need to rethink that. You can’t even see your dimples with all that pubic hair hiding how handsome you are.” She decided to leave her shorts on over her swimsuit, but took her T-shirt off before laying it over a rock to dry.

“I like the beard,” he grumbled before executing a shallow dive into the lake.

She dug a ponytail holder out of her pocket and took a few minutes to pile her hair on top of her head. When she was finished, she noticed him staring at her with his jaws clenched. The swimsuit she wore was old, but it wasn’t any more revealing than a bra. Uncomfortable, she started to reach for her shirt.

“Don’t,” Tiny said. He pointed to her torso. “Gordon did that?”

She glanced down at the shallow cuts that had healed but were still pink. The bruises had turned to that sickly green color that she’d hoped to cover with a tan. “Yeah,” she said, turning her back. She grabbed the shirt and pulled it on.

“Cannonball!” she yelled, racing toward the water. Her splash was lame, but she didn’t know what else to do. She came up with a fake smile on her face, hoping to see a similar reaction from Tiny.

Unfortunately, he wasn’t amused by her cannonball attempt. “Come on, it was a joke.”

He reached out and yanked her into his massive arms, crushing her before she had a chance to fight him off. “I’m sorry.”

Santana pushed against his shoulders, trying to break free. “You’re squeezing me!”

He loosened his hold but didn’t release her. “I’ll make this up to you. I’ll make everything up to you.”

She started to make another joke about him trying to move in on Stake’s territory, but all the pain Tiny had caused when he’d turned his back, came pouring out of her. She began to hit her fists against his shoulders and head and he took it. “Damn you!”

Her breath caught at the expression of deep and profound sorrow on his ruggedly handsome face. Her arms wrapped around his neck when she realized the forced separation between the two of them had been equally hard on him. She buried her face against his neck and started to cry. Within seconds, her tears turned to sobs, wracking full-bodied sobs that she’d never allowed herself to give into.

Tiny carried her out of the water and sat on the bank with Santana cradled in his arms. “I should’ve protected you, but I never have.”

“You beat up Robby,” she hiccupped as she reminded him.

“Afterward,” he mumbled. “But I should’ve done something about your dad. I saw him hit you more than once, and all I did was stand there.”

“You were a boy.” She’d never blamed Tiny for not stepping in only for walking away. Telling him what she’d figured out about her father wouldn’t do either of them any good, so she kept her mouth shut as she dried her tears.

He cleared his throat. “The beard makes me look meaner than I really am,” he confessed. “When we were younger, I couldn’t wait for the day I could take Smash on.”

She tugged on his beard. He was right. The combination of facial hair and tattoos made him look like one badass motherfucker. She knew he was no angel though. He liked to fight and had been kicked out of school more than once for brawling. “Do you still pick fights?” she asked, hoping to lighten his expression.

“Only when I know I can win.” The corner of his mouth tipped up in a wicked grin.

Santana climbed off his lap and stretched out beside him. The sun felt good, and she still wanted to work on her tan. Plus, she doubted Stake would appreciate her sitting in another man’s lap. She closed her eyes and let the warmth of the day envelope her. “I need to tell you a secret, but you can’t tell anyone else.” She didn’t know if Stake’s plans were a secret, but now that she’d reconnected with Tiny, she didn’t want to leave without telling him.

He laid down next to her. “Okay.”

“Stake asked Cecil if he could transfer to the Fayetteville chapter. He wants to take me as far away from Broken Ridge as we can get.” She took a deep breath. “He said he’s going to kill Gordon, but I can’t let him do that because the police will know he’s responsible. So, I’m going to do it,” she confessed. “I need you to teach me how to shoot.”

“No.”

She opened her eyes and looked at Tiny when he said nothing more. “Please? If something happens to Stake because of me…” She let her words trail off as she shook her head. “I won’t let that happen.”

He rubbed his hands over his face. “I would do anything for you, but I can’t teach you how to become someone like me and Stake. I won’t.”

The statement drove home what she’d often suspected but had never asked. Growing up in the club, you learn as a child not to ask questions, but she needed to know. “Have you and Stake killed people?”

“Don’t ask me that,” he replied.

Closing her eyes again, she thought back to the day the cops had come to their home and arrested her dad. At the time, she hadn’t been upset or surprised that Smash had killed someone, only that he’d been caught, so it would make sense that Stake and even Tiny had, as well.

She decided to drop the conversation about Gordon. Although she hadn’t given up on her plan to kill the bastard before Stake did, she wouldn’t involve Tiny more than she already had. “Do you have a girlfriend?”

He let out a loud grunt. “A different one almost every night,” he said, a chuckle in his voice. “The ladies love my cock.”

Santana reached over and slapped him hard on the chest. Despite Tiny trying to get into her pants as a young teenager, she’d always thought of him more like a brother. “Gross. I don’t need to hear that.”

“It’s true,” he said unapologetically. “They also like to ride my face.” He held up his hands in a defensive position as soon as he said it, knowing she’d try to whack him again.

“Nasty! You’re a pig like the rest of them.” She squeezed her legs together, remembering the first time Stake had eaten her pussy.
Fuck.
“Did Stake say what time he’d be home?”

Laughing, Tiny rose to his feet and headed for the water. “You’d better cool that hot little body down ‘cuz he won’t be back ’til late.”

Dammit, had she been so obvious? With a sigh of resignation, she followed Tiny back into the lake.

Chapter Seven

The minute Tiny pulled up to Stake’s house, he turned off his bike and reached in his pocket. “My goddamn cell’s been vibrating since we left the lake,” he said. He stared at the display, and his dark blond eyebrows drew together. “It’s Prez.” He glanced back at Santana. “Sorry, sweetheart, but I need to take this.”

“No problem.” She climbed off the bike before setting the helmet on the seat. “I’ll be inside.”

She hoisted herself onto the back porch, wondering why Stake had never bothered to build stairs. The porch wasn’t high off the ground, probably only two feet or so, but while it was an easy step up for Stake, she was only five-foot-five.

She used her key to enter the house before retrieving a bottle of water from the refrigerator. Swimming had been fun after she’d recovered from her meltdown, and she’d managed to get some nice color.

Tiny knocked before entering. “I’ve gotta go out for a while.”

“Problem?” She asked, opening the fridge to hand him a bottle of water.

“Business, but I should only be gone a few hours.”

She sighed. Stake had left money for grocery shopping, but Tiny was supposed to go with her. She eyed the envelope of cash on the table. It was stupid, but she’d really looked forward to shopping without worrying about the total. Stake had been very clear that she was to load up on junk food because he enjoyed eating shit while he watched baseball on TV. “Will you be back in time for dinner? I thought I’d make meatloaf.”

He groaned and rubbed his flat stomach. “Hell yeah, I’ll be back. I fuckin’ love meatloaf.”

“Good.” She finished her water and tossed the empty into the recycle bin she’d created out of an old cardboard box lined with a trash bag.

“You have your phone?” he asked.

“Yep.” Stake had insisted on buying her a new phone. She unplugged it from the charger on the counter.

Tiny walked over and gave her a peck on the forehead. “Sorry about this. Stake’ll probably kill me for leaving you alone, but at this point, I’m more afraid of Cecil.”

She waved off his concerns. “I’ll be fine. I’ve spent most of my life taking care of myself. I’m sure I can handle it for a few hours.”

His expression darkened. He shook his head before giving her another friendly kiss. “I like brown gravy with my meatloaf. You do it that way?”

“I can.” She didn’t tell him it had been years since she’d had enough money to buy the hamburger required for meatloaf, let alone splurge on gravy.

“Stay safe,” he called as he walked out the door.

She waited until she could no longer hear the sound of his Harley before running to the bedroom to change into dry clothes and brush out her hair. She grabbed the extra set of keys and the envelope before heading out of the house.

Behind the wheel of Stake’s truck, she took several deep breaths. It had been close to three years since their old piece of shit car had finally given up the fight, but she assumed driving was something you never really forgot how to do. “You’ve got this,” she repeated over and over as she started the pickup and pulled out onto the road.

The drive went so well that she turned on the radio on the outskirts of town. She was almost to downtown when flashing lights in her rearview mirror caught her attention. Her immediate reaction was to stiffen and glance down at her speedometer. She wasn’t speeding, so what the fuck? Pulling to the side of the road, she turned off the engine and started searching her purse for her driver’s license.