Outlaw (18 page)

Crash passed him the whiskey bottle.

Cole handed it to Angel. “Drink this.”

She shook her head.

“Do it,” he insisted, his eyebrows raised.

She took the bottle, and tilted it up for a drink,
and then handed it back to him.

Taz didn’t miss the exchange. “You need to teach her
to do what she’s told.”

“She’s learning,” Cole snapped back at him with a
deadly look.

Taz smiled. “Bet there’s lots of stuff she needs to
learn. Fuck, I’m getting hard just thinking about it.”

Cole passed the bottle back to Crash, and whispered,
“Get them the fuck out of here.”

“Come on, guys. Let’s go drink this whiskey while
they get this done.” Crash led the way out the door.

Angel looked over. The three others followed Crash
out. Taz remained, leaning against the counter, watching her with a smile.
After a long moment, he straightened, and followed the others out. They all
stood by the curb, drinking and laughing. Angel could see them through the
plate glass window.

Cole nodded for Stumpy to get started.

Angel could hear the buzz of the tattoo machine as
he turned it on. She put her head down.

Cole kissed the top of her head, wondering how she
was ever going to forgive him after this. He’d fucked up, big time. He should
have never taken her to that party. Should have known better, but hell, he’d
had no idea Mack was going to invite the Devil Kings. What was he thinking,
wanting to make any kind of alliance with these assholes?

Cole knew this was payback for the disrespect he’d
shown them at the party. Knew, too, that they’d purposely followed them to
Sonny’s. Big Ed wanted him to know just who he was messing with. This was all
about dick size. Cole wasn’t afraid to fight, but Crash was right. They didn’t
stand a chance against eight of them. Mack would shit if he messed up this deal
he was trying to work. Besides, didn’t Mack already give him shit about Angel?
He wanted her gone.

Angel’s back was burning. She wondered how much more
of this she could take, and how long this would go on.

Cole bent his head to hers, and kissed the top of
her head again. She noticed he still hadn’t let go of her wrists. She didn’t
understand any of this. She’d trusted Cole, and now she didn’t know what to
think. Why was he letting them force this on her? She looked out the plate
glass window at the men lounging on their bikes, and saw the answer. They were
a mean bunch. And they had him outnumbered.

When Stumpy finally told them he was finished, Cole
nodded to him, and said, “Give us a minute.”

“Sure, Cole.” He pulled the surgical gloves off, and
tossed them in the wastebasket, and walked into the backroom.

“Look at me.”

Angel looked up.

“You okay?”

She didn’t say anything, just pulled on her arms,
trying to break his hold.

Cole let go of her wrists, and took her hands in
his, and brought them to his lips, and kissed them. “I’m sorry, baby. For all of
this.” He reached a hand up, and cradled the side of her face in his palm, his
thumb stroking over her cheekbone.

Just then, Crash leaned his head in the door. “Hate
to break up this tender moment, but the whiskey’s gone, and we need to get the
hell out of here before they start lookin’ for trouble.”

Cole helped Angel up. He took her by the hand, and
led her outside.

The Devil Kings were standing by the curb.

Taz was slouching on his bike, his ass sideways in
the seat, leaning back on one elbow, his legs out straight, crossed at the
ankles. “Well, girlie. Let’s see.” He took a drag off his cigarette, and blew
the smoke out, his eyes never leaving hers.

Angel looked up at Cole.

He put his arm around her shoulders, and pulled her
toward him so that her back was facing them, then he lifted the hem of her
shirt up.

“Now, see boys. She’s learnin’. Did you see how she
looked at her man for permission and instruction?”

They all snickered.

Taz studied the tattoo.

Cole glared at him.

Angel felt humiliated and put on display.

“Stumpy does nice work,” Taz observed, smiling. He
tilted his head sideways, his eyes sliding over her ass. “Real nice.”

Cole noticed, and barely leashed anger flashed in
his eyes. He let her shirt drop.

Angel winced when the fabric brushed against the new
tattoo.

“So, we done here?” Cole bit out.

Taz looked at him, and they stared each other down.
Taz took another slow drag off his cigarette. He nodded, finally. “Yeah. We’re
done. We’re headed back over. You comin’?”

“No. We’re going back to the clubhouse.”

“Suit yourself. See ya ‘round.”

Cole nodded.

Cole, Crash and Angel stood there while the Devil
Kings mounted up, and pulled out. The engines roaring, as they gunned it down
the street.

“Fuck, man!” Crash exhaled, looking at Cole.

Cole hooked his arm around Angel’s neck, and pulled
her close, and kissed her forehead. “Let’s get out of here.”

Chapter Eight

Cole led Angel straight up to his room, his hand
clamped firmly on her wrist. He was afraid if he let go, she’d bolt. He pulled
her inside, and closed the door.

She yanked free of his hold, and glared at him.
“Don’t touch me.”

“Baby, I’m sorry. I never meant for that to happen.”

“You didn’t stop it.”

“We were outnumbered. I think you saw that.”

She turned away from him.

He walked over, and stood behind her, his hands
closing on her upper arms. Bending his head close to hers, he whispered in her
ear, “Angel, I swear to God, if there had been any way out of that situation,
don’t you think I would have done it? If Crash and I had fought them, and gone
down in the fight, you would have been at their mercy. Do you understand?”

She turned in his arms. “I don’t understand any of
this. Why would they do that? For what?”

God. He had to explain to her, to admit to her that
this was all his fault. That he’d brought this on. “They did it to teach me a
lesson. Payback for the disrespect I showed Big Ed at the War Dog’s clubhouse.”

“What? I don’t understand. You’re not the one they
tattooed.”

“No. But he knew it was a way to get to me. He was
either going to take you from me or show me he could do that to you, knowing I
couldn’t stop him.”

“Why didn’t he just beat the crap out of you?” she
asked, her voice filled with anger. She spun away.

“Is that what you would have preferred?”

As much as she hated him right now, and as pissed as
she was, she still wouldn’t have wanted them to have hurt Cole. She shook her
head.

“He didn’t do that, because it would have pissed on
the deal with him and Mack. But forcing the issue with you, that wasn’t enough
to start a war.”

“Well, I guess you got off easy, then, huh? I’m the
one that paid the price.”

“You think it didn’t tear my heart out to have to
put you through that? To have to be the one that held you down while they did
that to you?”

“I don’t know what to think.”

“If Crash and I had put up any resistance, they
wouldn’t have hesitated in taking us down. And you-” he broke off, not wanting
to verbalize the possibilities.

“What?”

“God, I don’t even want to think about what they
might have done to you. If Taz had gotten his hands on you-” he broke off,
shaking his head. She needed to hear the truth, and he’d promised he’d give it
to her. “Did you hear what he said, how he likes to break a woman’s spirit? He
likes to make them suffer, Angel. Do you understand? They’re some sick individuals
in that club. The stories I’ve heard of the things they’ve done to some women,
you don’t even want to know. Makes what Chuck did to you pale in comparison.”

“And this is the life you lead? This club, that
club, what’s the difference?”

“We’re not like that bunch, Angel.”

Angel went into the bathroom. She looked in the
mirror, and turned, raising her shirt. Her eyes landed on the reflection of the
tattoo. It was an intricate design with three words in the center. The words
were reversed in the mirror, but she could still read them.

Property of Cole

Cole stood in the doorway.

Their eyes met in the mirror.

“It looks good there,” he murmured. “It’s sexy as
hell.”

She let the shirt fall. “It’s medieval.”

“It’s the truth.”

“What do you mean, the truth? I’m not your
property.”

He walked over to her, and tilted her chin up. His
face was a few inches from hers. He told her softly, “Whether you admit it or
not, Angel, you
are
mine. And that,
I’m not sorry about.”

She stared into his eyes, and was lost. She watched
as his mouth lowered, and brushed against hers, softly, tenderly.

He pulled back, and took her by the hand, and led
her back to the bed. “Lay down on your stomach.”

She refused, and just stood there, looking at him.

“Please, babe.”

At his soft request, she gave in, and complied.

He sat on the edge of the bed next to her, and
pulled her shirt up, exposing the tattoo. Picking up a jar of ointment off the
bedside table, he twisted the lid off, and scooped a glob out with two fingers.
Then he turned, and gently applied it to the reddened skin of her fresh tattoo.

She closed her eyes, and Cole watched as a fat tear
leaked through her spiked lashes, and fell on the pillow. He brushed his hand
over her forehead, his thumb following the line of her brow. Leaning down, he
kissed her temple. “Baby, please forgive me.”

She turned her face away.

Cole got up, and went into the bathroom. She heard
him rummaging through the cabinet. A moment later, the bed sagged as he sat
back down.

“Take these.”

She turned to look at him. He was holding a couple
of pills in his hand.

“Please, baby. It’ll take the pain away. Let you
sleep.”

She took them.

He handed her a bottle of water, and watched as she
washed them down. Then he stayed with her until she fell asleep.

That night, after Angel fell asleep, Cole went down
to the clubhouse. The guys were all back. He walked outside, and found Crash,
Cajun, Red Dog, Green and Kilt Boy. They were standing around, smoking and
drinking.

Kilt Boy looked up when he saw Cole walk out the door.
He walked over, and put his hand on Cole’s shoulder. “Crash told us what
happened. Is the lass alright?”

Cole nodded. “Yeah. But she
is pissed
.”

Kilt Boy nodded. “Aye, I can imagine. Wish we’d been
there, Sonny-boy. We should have gone with ye.”

Cole shook his head. “You couldn’t have known.
Anyway, it’s done now.”

“We can still go kick some bluidy arse.”

“No. Let it go. I shouldn’t have pissed on Big Ed.
It’s my fault.”

“You’re fault? I was there, brother. You couldn’t
have stopped them,” Crash insisted.

“I instigated it. We both know that. What I did at
the War Dogs clubhouse-” he broke off, shaking his head.

Crash didn’t know what to say to that. He watched
Cole. Could tell he was pretty tore up about this, although, he didn’t want
them to see it. “Maybe, maybe you should get her out of here.”

Cole looked at him, and nodded. If he had cut her
loose in the beginning, none of this would have happened. He knew Crash was
right, but…how was he going to let her go?

“Hey, why don’t you go take that trip you were
planning? See how everything lands when you get back.”

Cole nodded. “Yeah. If she’ll go.”

Crash grinned. “I got a feelin’ she will. I’ve seen
the way she looks at you.”

Cole looked at him, and shook his head. “I think I
may have killed that feeling.”

Crash slapped him on the back. “Naw. You just need
to keep her in your bed for a couple of days. By the time you’re through, lover
boy, she won’t ever want to leave.”

“Aye. Fook the lass till she can’t walk. That’ll
keep her from leavin’ yer arse,” Kilt Boy chimed in, laughing.

“Shut up, you crude bastard.” Cole slugged him in
the arm, smiling. Actually, it sounded like a good plan.

*****

Angel opened her eyes. The stereo was playing soft
blues. She was lying on her stomach. She turned her head. Cole was laying on
his side next to her. He was awake, and looking at her.

He smiled, and reached up, and gently brushed the
hair back from her face. “Morning.”