Misappropriate (18 page)

Meggie smiled, but her heart hurt for the woman across from her and she placed her hand on top of Gypsy’s. “Thank you.”

“Hey, Meggie,” Bunny cut in, her mouth downturned. The gaiety they’d shared earlier had blown away. Discomfort and unease settled between them like dust in the wake of a sandstorm. “My kid brother is at his tattoo shop. You wanna swing by there and see if he’s free to draw a temporary on you?”

Meggie thought it over for a minute. A temporary tattoo wouldn’t hurt and it might ease Christopher’s guilt over what had taken place the other night. Visiting a tattoo parlor,
without his influence
—she’d never mentioned getting a tattoo to him—would show him she’d made a conscious decision to smoke pot and swallow tequila. The man had to understand he wasn’t responsible for everything that went on in her life. An idea of the tattoo she’d try formed in her head and she smiled. “Yes, I think I do.”

Before going to the ladies’ room, she sent Bin and Shady a text, telling them to meet her at the coffee shop because they were ready to leave. After calling her mother and checking on CJ, then trying to contact Christopher without success, Meggie followed Bunny to the shop. Gypsy cried off, saying she had to get home to her kids.

Once Meggie parked, she waited for Bunny to do the same, while Bin stormed her way.

“I’m not here to be a babysitter, Meggie,” he complained. “I have shit to do.”

“You do,” Meggie agreed. “And that is accompanying me wherever I want to go.”

“You better back off, Bin, dude,” Shady advised. “Prez’ll rip you a new asshole if you don’t get out of Meggie’s face.”

As much as she wanted to demand Bin stay, she’d had enough today, when this was supposed to have been her drama free day. She waved him off. “Go then.”

Bin flicked away a cigarette butt and stalked off.

“Prez is gonna hear about this,” Shady swore. He thrust his chin toward Bin’s retreating form. “About him, especially.”

“Don’t worry about it. Why don’t you go, as well? I’ll be fine.”

Shady hesitated.

“Go,” she insisted. “I’ll be fine.”

“Okay. I won’t be too far away. If you need me, just give me a call. Okay? I’ll be two minutes away, so—“

Meggie placed a hand on his arm and laughed. “Thank you. I’m fine. And I appreciate that you’ll be nearby.”

He smiled and nodded as he walked toward his bike.

Meggie was happy to find Bunny’s brother, Gabe, was in fact free and able to draw a temporary replica of the Celtic cross entwined with the black roses that Christopher had on his upper arm. Right where his well-defined bicep tempted the female population into craving a touch. She wanted a smaller one on her side to cover her ugly stretch marks. If she liked this one and got permanent ink, she might choose another one for the other side at a later date. And, maybe, one day she’d do something about the marks she’d made on herself.

“That sounds so cool, Meggie,” Bunny said with anticipation once Meggie completed her description. “I’ll bet Outlaw is going to love it.”

Meggie agreed and couldn’t wait to see his face. She’d bet it would light up just as it had when she’d shown him his man cave. “I think so.”

While Gabe prepared his pens, Meggie and Bunny chitchatted. Meggie discovered Bunny had met her boyfriend when he’d come in for a tattoo at Gabe’s shop. Since Gabe’s assistant had called in sick, Bunny promised to answer Gabe’s phone while he worked on Meggie, who reclined in the tattoo chair, studying the drawings hanging on the wall in the room. The place consisted of this room and the reception area. Small but clean.

Finally, Gabe was ready. “Wanna take off your shirt, Meggie? You can leave your bra on.”

“How about I just lift my shirt out of the way?”

“You’ll be more comfortable with it off.”

“Trust the woman,” Bunny offered, sitting in the extra chair. “Her old man won’t like her taking her shirt off.”

Meggie and Bunny shared a glance.

“To be honest, he probably won’t like that you’re touching her, but he likes tats and you do excellent work, so that’ll be your saving grace.”

“All right,” Gabe agreed, picking up his first pen as Meggie lifted her shirt.

Smiling, Meggie imagined Christopher’s voice full of gruff approval when she showed him—

“
MEGAN!
” Christopher’s voice blared through the small building, shaking the walls and seeming to lift the roof.

Gabe’s eyes widened just as the door burst open.

“Motherfucker.”

Meggie scrambled from the table and barreled into Christopher before he punched Gabe.

“What are you doing here?” they both screamed at one another at the same time.

“What does it look like I’m doing here?” Meggie snarled. “Getting a tattoo.”

“No the fuck you ain’t.” He glared the promise of murder toward Gabe, then focused on Bunny. “You the bitch who brought my wife here?”

Bunny paled and inched closer to Gabe.

“No!” Meggie snapped, stepping in front of her charging husband. “I asked her to bring me here. I wanted to surprise you—“

“By lettin’ some fuck touch you?”

“He was—“

“And marring your beautiful skin?”

“I wanted to—“

“You didn’t ask me if you could get a tattoo.”

“You fucked, brother,” Mortician said from behind Christopher and Meggie realized they were probably
all
out there. “You can’t order chicks around.”

Christopher spun to Mortician. “The fuck I can’t,” he spat. “Megan’s mine.” He pointed to Gabe. “And you a fuckin’ dead man for puttin’ your fuckin’ fingers on her.” He glanced at Bunny. “Don’t ever fuckin’ set foot in my club again.” And focused on Megan. “And you. Get the fuck in your car. I ain’t ever lettin’ you out on your own a-fuckin-gain. And cancel that bullshit with that little fat motherfucker. I ain’t fuckin’ goin’.”

Meggie stared at him, swearing her surroundings had been painted red. Or, maybe, that was the color she was seeing because she wanted to kill Christopher. “Move,” she said in a voice so deadly calm even Christopher blinked.

But, of course, he recovered too fast. “Get home,” he ground out.

Meggie glanced around the little room for an escape, but Christopher stood right in front of her, blocking her way. Without taking her eyes off the furious face of her husband, she said, “Bunny, you’re my friend, so you’re welcomed there anytime. If not, I’ll visit you at your house.”

“Megan—“ Christopher barked.

“As for you,” she spat in an icy voice, “if you don’t get out of my way and let me pass, I’m going to hurt you really, really bad.”

He snorted and lit a cigarette with infuriating smugness. “As if.”

Meggie stomped Christopher’s foot, satisfied at his yelp. “You…you’re…you…” She couldn’t think of anything nasty enough to express her range of emotions. Hurt, humiliation, and anger. So she snarled what shot into her  mind, “
fuck off, you fucking asshole
,” shoved him out of her way and ran out of the shop, bursting into tears. She went through a wall of bikers—Stretch, Val, Mortician, Digger, Johnnie, K-P, Shady, and
Bin
. She glared at him, wanting to spit in his ugly face. She was sure he was the one who’d ratted her out.

“Megs,” Johnnie called, reaching for her.

She shook her head and ran past him. She didn’t need Johnnie’s death on her conscience. If he touched her, Christopher
would
kill him.

Once she reached her car and got in, she sped away, needing space and driving blindly. In the distance, she heard the roar of a motorcycle and felt herself edging closer to the limit of her control. She wasn’t Christopher’s possession, which was what he was turning her into, ordering her about as if she had no brain. Having her followed. Deciding once and for all he wouldn’t go through with their church wedding.

She’d never used a curse word a day in her life, but he’d made her so mad.

Sniffling, she pulled into a gas station. Despite all the food she’d eaten not two hours ago, she wanted a Milky Way and some chocolate milk. After filling her gas tank and making her purchases inside the mini mart, she started off again, frustrated when two bikes sped past her.

A moment. That’s all she needed. Away from the MC and Christopher. When she neared the dead end street that led to the clubhouse, she dialed her mother’s number to check on CJ. If he needed her, she’d go to him. Thankfully, he didn’t, so she decided to head to the creek, where she’d lived for a month before meeting Christopher. She hadn’t visited there since she’d moved to the club, but she needed the fresh air. She could eat her candy, drink her milk, and think. Or not think. Just smell the freshness of the trees and feel the briskness of the air against her overheated skin.

She sat on a grassy slope and folded her legs, opening her milk and candy bar. She took a bite, then a sip.

Meggie needed to break through Christopher’s rage. Everything set him off and it all went back to Cee Cee. Not that excused his behavior from a little while ago.

She didn’t know who to turn to for advice. She’d had no examples of supportive relationships. She only knew of her idea of what standing behind Christopher meant. And it certainly
didn’t
mean he was allowed to treat her so crappy.

Meggie rubbed her temples and glanced at the peaceful flow of the water.

“I’d say you set my son in his place.”

Meggie drew in a deep breath. Call her insane but hearing Cee Cee’s voice didn’t surprise her. She’d had a sense of being watched for most of the day. That’s why she’d wanted Bin and Shady to stay. Otherwise, she would’ve been as unhappy about her guards as they were to babysit her. Even Mortician, Val, Stretch, and Digger, as much as she liked them and they liked her, didn’t relish the task. Of course, Christopher never sent Johnnie with her.

Just as well, she supposed, since her husband was an insane, jealous maniac. Speaking of which…”Go away,” she ordered over her shoulder.

“That’s what I’m here for, girlie.”

Out of her peripheral vision, she caught sight of his boots as he stopped next to her and stepped on her candy bar.

She jumped to her feet and brushed over her backside, flinching when he kicked her milk hard enough for it to land in the water.

Cee Cee leered at her. “You love my boy, right?”

She hated hearing Cee Cee referring to Christopher as “his boy”. But, as much as she wanted to deny the claim, he resembled her husband. And her son. Where they had all that black hair, Cee Cee’s tattooed bald head made him look like a scary criminal.

She turned to start for her car.

He grabbed her arm and pulled her back.

It wouldn’t do any good to scream because no one would hear her, so she pulled her cell phone out of her pocket, swallowing at his laughter. Not that she blamed him. Before she dialed a digit, he’d have her subdued. Or dead.

He folded his arms. “I really want to fuck you.”

“I’d really rather die.”

He shrugged. “I can oblige you in that, too.”

She bet he could and when he was done, he wouldn’t lose sleep over it.

He moved closer to her. She had so many questions going through her head—none of which mattered because he wouldn’t be interested in answering why he’d decided to drop into his son’s life and challenge his authority.

“We could run away together,” he offered. “Me and you.”

She frowned at the unexpected words.

“You didn’t just show up to run away with me. So why are you here? What do you want with my husband?”

He roared with laughter. “Don’t want nothin’ from my boy. A man couldn’t ask for a better son.” His nostrils flared and he spat a stream of…
something
…right near her feet. “Thought he’d finally be free when his fucking mother chewed on that bullet. Wanted to form an alliance with him. My MC and his.”

“What’s the name of your MC?”

Right then, her life came full circle. She’d run away from her mother’s house to get protection from her abusive stepfather. And found love. She’d run away from her love to clear her head. And found abuse when Cee Cee slapped her across the face and she saw stars.

He shook her and narrowed his eyes. “You don’t get to ask fucking questions, you little slut. You stay with him, you’ll make him weak. His enemies want something from the club, all they have to do is threaten you—or get to you—and they’ll get it. I don’t want some cunt coming in and fucking up all my son’s built.”

Cee Cee shoved her back and she stumbled, the side of her head stinging. Her insides turned to glass, threatening to crack her apart and she gasped, the pain and humiliation of her past slamming through her. She needed…

She needed to make her fear go. Go.
GO!

“You’re his biggest liability. The whole club’s.
You
, Megan Foy.”

Cee Cee had a point, she thought with a shiver, careening over the edge she’d been teetering on since this man had landed in their lives with the force of a tsunami. She
was
Christopher’s liability. He’d agreed to a church wedding when he didn’t want it. Agreed to dress in a manner he’d never dressed in—without his cut during the ceremony. For her. He’d stopped hanging out in the main room as often or too long.
Everyone
knew how he felt about her.

Cee Cee reached out for her, but she’d learned how to survive years ago. Anticipating his move, she went the opposite way, just as her phone started ringing. He jerked it out of her hands and pitched it. A moment later, it plopped into the water, along with dozens of stored photos of CJ since the moment she’d brought him home.

That bitch had to get close to me so I could shove her the fuck away.

That’s what Christopher had said about the whore who’d been at his bachelor party.

Cee Cee backhanded her and her ears rang, more stars dancing in front of her eyes. When he came for her again, Meggie shoved her fingers into his eye and brought her foot up, kicking him as hard as possible in the groin. She shot forward to her car, barely able to get in and lock the door because Cee Cee trailed her, though the hit she’d given him slowed him. Otherwise, he would’ve caught up to her. He banged on the window and Meggie clutched the steering wheel, tears almost blinding her. Her hands trembled so violently she almost couldn’t shove the key into the ignition and start it. When she did, Cee Cee stopped kicking her door and pounding on her window to lunge toward the hood.