Saving Claire: A Chaos MC Novel Page 4

  “Oh, thank you so much, these are really comfortable. It was nice to get out of my dirty rags.” I smile at her, not sure what I’m doing or if I should sit or stand or run back to my room.

  “Of course! I can get you some more. God knows I have enough, as Wren likes to remind me. Come, sit down!” She’s so friendly I can’t help but feel at ease around her. I step towards the table but then stop, eyeing the large man on the other end.

  It’s not that I think he’s going to hurt me – I’m not so broken that I think every man is as abusive or mean as the men on the compound. Jax proved that there are still decent people out there. But my body doesn’t get the message and I start wringing my hands in front of me and shaking a little bit.

  Goddamnit, get it together, girl.

  Mia steps in and saves me from my awkwardness again, “That’s River. He’s no threat, I promise. All bark and no bite.”

  He gives her a sideways glance but then cracks a smile. He looks at me and nods, the smile still on his face. “You’re welcome here, little lady. No need to be scared of anyone.”

  I take a cleansing breath and give him a tentative smile as I sit across the table from him.

  “Like Mia said, I’m River, and I’m the president of this club.”

  I feel like I should curtsey or something, but I decide to go with a handshake. Despite my earlier wariness, I want to present a strong front.

  “Well, thank you, sir, for letting me stay,” I say as I reach my hand out across the table for a handshake.

  He cracks a huge grin and the woman next to him starts giggling. “Sir! I don’t think anyone has ever called you that,” she says.

  I’m sure my face turns red with embarrassment, but he eases some of my discomfort by shaking my hand. “You can call me sir anytime, Claire. It’s about time someone showed me some damn respect!” His words seem harsh, but his tone makes it clear he’s joking. “Damn, your hands are all torn up, little lady.”

  I instantly withdraw my hand and pull my hands up into the sleeves, clenching the fabric in my fists and hiding them in my lap.

  “Oh, you don’t have to hide that, sweetie,” the woman sitting next to him says. “Jax said you were a badass and it looks like he was right.” She gives me an encouraging smile. “I’m Stacy, by the way. I’m this guy’s old lady,” she says as she playfully slaps his chest.

  “Old lady?” I ask. She doesn’t look that old. I’d peg her for 45. She’s probably a good ten years younger than River. Her chestnut hair falls in waves around her shoulders and her kind brown eyes pull me in.

  “Oh, that’s just what we call it when one of these lugs finally wises up and gets serious about a woman. It’s a term of endearment, really. It means we belong to each other.”

  “So you’re married?”

  “We are, yes, but not everyone who is an old lady is married to their man. But it’s just as much of a commitment.”

  “Call me a lug one more time, woman…” River grunts playfully before bending down for a sweet kiss on Stacy’s forehead.

  I smile at them and feel a little more at ease. It’s clear they love each other, and I can’t help but be happy for them.

  “Anywaaaaay…” Mia chimes in. “How are you feeling, Claire?”

  “I’m fine. I mean, I’ve been better. But I’ve been worse.” Ugh, why am I so awkward?

  She gives me a worried look but decides to change the subject.

  “Are you up for some lunch? Then maybe you, Stacy, and I can head to the media room and binge watch some Netflix? Have you seen Black Mirror? Or maybe you’re more of a Grey’s Anatomy person. I’m always up for a heaping helping of McDreamy,” she says as she wiggles her eyebrows.

  I can’t help but laugh. “Actually, I used to love Grey’s Anatomy! I watched it all the time before…” I stop myself because how the hell can I even say what I’ve been through the last four years? Do they know? What did Jax tell them?

  Mia doesn’t miss a beat. “Great!” She claps her hands as she says it. “It’s a plan. Food first, then McDreamy!”

  ***

  I hang out with Stacy and Mia for the rest of the afternoon. It all feels so… normal. I can’t remember the last time I just hung out with friends, let alone watched TV. Well, actually, I can remember. It was right before we left for the compound, a few weeks after my sixteenth birthday.

  My best friend, Hannah, and I watched “How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days” and ate an entire tub of ice cream. I was so sad to be leaving her, but I promised we’d text every day and I’d come visit once we settled in.

  I had no idea that there would be zero communication outside of the compound. She must think I’m such a bitch, or like I totally forgot about her.

  “Hey, are you ok, sweetie?”

  I look over at Stacy and realize I must have had a sad look on my face.

  “Yeah, sorry. Just lost in my thoughts a bit.”

  “No need to apologize. If you want to talk about anything, we’d love to listen. No pressure though.” She rubs my shoulder in a comforting gesture. It’s so motherly and kind, and I’m overwhelmed by how welcomed I feel.

  “Thanks,” I say and my stupid voice cracks. I feel tears stinging my eyes and I move to wipe them away.

  “Oh, sweetie, I didn’t mean to make you cry!”

  “No, they aren’t sad tears. You’re all just so nice to me. Here I am, stumbling into your lives like a freaking tornado and you clean me up and feed me chili and let me hang out with you. It’s just really… nice. Thank you.” I sniffle a little, feeling ridiculous about my tears.

  Don’t get too attached. You have to leave soon.

  I look up from my lap and both Mia and Stacy are smiling at me.

  “You know what we need?” Stacy asks as she stands up from the couch.

  “WINE!” Mia exclaims a little too enthusiastically as she hops off the couch. Both women laugh and pull me up too. Mia loops her arm in mine and we head out to the bar.

  Chapter 11

  Jax

  I can’t stop thinking about Claire. I hated that I had to leave her, but I didn’t have much of a choice. It’s time to find a rat.

  Dominic and I went to the warehouse where we kept our shipments of weapons, noticeably more empty than usual since the last shipment was hijacked. It has been a while since any of us officers checked up on the day to day operations. Clearly, it’s been way too long.

  “Jax, Dom, I wasn’t expecting you guys,” Dragon says when we pull up to the warehouse.

  Dragon is our head of operations. Basically his job is to manage the guards, the warehouse, oversee trade deals, and report back to us.

  “Yeah, well, we’re here,” Dom says. “Is that a problem?”

  Dragon pales. He knows not to fuck with us. Well, hopefully. The last guy who had his job tried skimming off the top and found himself run out of town with a busted knee and a missing hand. Yeah, we were cruel motherfuckers when we needed to be, but at least we spared him his life.

  “No, not at all. Mi casa es su casa.” He laughs shakily at his joke.

  Dom grunts in response and I just nod as we step inside.

  “What do you know about the last shipment, Dragon?”

  “I know it didn’t come in,” he replies.

  I shoot him a look that says he better stop the sass and answer our damn questions.

  “Sorry, Jax. I know it was being sold to some gang up in Chicago.”

  “Who else knew about the deal? I need names, Dragon. I need them now. I want all the info on the deal.”

  He nods and scurries off to the office.

  Dragon returns a few minutes later with a list of three people. “Bullet, Tank, and Strike. They actually arranged the deal. They’ve only been patched in for a couple of months, but they’ve been vital in the operations of this place since they were prospects together. I figured it was time to give them a shot at handling some more of the other responsibilities. I’m not getting any younger, you know.”


  “Right. Well, let’s hope you didn’t fuck up by putting your trust in a rat.”

  Dragon looks like he’s about to defend himself, but then thinks better of it.

  Dom and I head back outside. I pull out my phone and give Slash a call.

  “Slash, brother, I need you to check the details on the last shipment.”

  “No prob. Whatcha got for me?”

  I give him the shipment number and the info on the gang it was going to in Chicago.

  “Are you sure it was going to Chicago? A gang called Death’s Fury?”

  “That’s the info I got. Why?”

  “Man, they don’t exist. Like, nothing. Not anywhere.”

  “Fuck. Looks like we have a lead then.”

  “Go get ‘em, Jax. Call if you need anything else.”

  “Thanks, Slash.”

  I hang up and tell Dom what I found out. We head out to Bullet’s place ready to get some answers.

  ***

  We fucked up Bullet pretty bad before hitting up Tank and Strike. It was Strike who finally broke. He said they took a few outside jobs as a side gig. Mostly it was stealing a few guns off a shipment and selling them to a third party so they could pocket the money themselves, but then their client demanded more. He threatened their families and even kidnapped Tank’s sister until they agreed.

  They felt like they couldn’t come to the club for help because they had been cheating us. They arranged a shipment to a fake gang in Chicago to make it seem legit. Apparently, Dragon was not doing his job by double checking and following through on that shit. Or maybe he was in on it too. Either way, we’d be cleaning house after this.

  The rats gave up the info on the drop which lead to the hijacking. After quite a few creative torture techniques, Dom got Strike to give up the name of the buyer: Savage. He didn’t know anything else and never dealt with him directly.

  It wasn’t everything, but it was a start. We’d report back to River and decide the next move.

  Chapter 12

  Jax

  My schedule has been crazy over the last few days, coordinating with the other clubs, sharing info, meeting with other officers, not to mention trying to work at my actual legitimate job – at the bike shop I own.

  I have kept an eye on Claire, but every time I check on her she’s asleep. It’s for the best – she needs rest. I still… I miss her. Which is crazy. But true, nonetheless.

  Today was another long day and I’m finally heading back to the clubhouse around 3 am.

  I know it’s too late to actually spend any time with her, but I have to go and check her room and make sure she is ok. I quietly open her door and see her curled up in a ball, hugging her arms around herself. She looks so small and vulnerable, I just want to wrap her up in my arms and shield her from the world.

  But I’ll have to be content enough to know she’s safe in bed, safe with the club’s protection, and safe with me, even if I’m at a distance for now.

  I go back to my room in the clubhouse. Most of the officers have a room here for convenience. I also own my own home a few miles outside of town. It sits on a lake and I mainly bought it for the view. It was pretty cheap since the actual house was pretty much a pile of sticks when I bought it. The place had good bones though, and I spend my days off fixing it up. It’s more of a hobby at this point. The master bedroom and bathroom are done, but everything else needs some serious work. I spend most nights here at the clubhouse and I haven’t had much time or really any reason to go out there at work on it. But when I think of Claire, I wonder if I might have a reason to fix up the place. I wonder if she’d like it?

  Nope. Can’t think like that. Time to wash away these thoughts and the evening with a shower.

  I think back to that kiss. It was unlike anything I’d ever experienced. I’ve been with my share of women and I can honestly say that kiss was hotter than most of the sex I’ve ever had. Not that it was dirty, per say. It was the promise of something more. I don’t think I’ve ever really been invested in anyone and the idea of having Claire by my side to kiss whenever I want, to touch whenever I want, to fuck whenever I want, gets me so hard.

  I’m a dirty bastard and even though I know it’s wrong to have these feelings and thoughts about Claire when she’s so vulnerable, I can’t help myself.

  I wrap my hand around my cock and rub up and down. I’m already leaking precum from just thinking about her and all the ways I want her.

  I imagine her kneeling in front of me in the shower, her lips around my cock while her gorgeous grey eyes stare up at me.

  Stroking faster, I almost feel her sucking me dry and loving it. Her tongue swirls around my tip and she licks the sensitive nerve along the side. Then, she snakes her a hand over her neck, across her breasts, and slides it down her stomach till she dips her fingers inside her soaking wet pussy. She pleasures herself as she gets me off.

  “Fuck, that’s so good, baby,” I groan into the shower.

  I’m so fucking close, I feel a tingling start in the base of my spine.

  I picture Claire’s hand moving faster between her legs and coming for me, trembling and moaning around my cock.

  That does it.

  I growl Clair’s name as I come so hard my legs start to shake. I put a hand on the wall of the shower to steady myself as I come down from the most incredible high, wave after wave of cum shooting into the shower.

  Fuck. If that’s what it’s like just imagining her, I can’t wait to experience the real thing.

  ***

  I wake up to my phone ringing. I stare at the screen and groan when I see it’s River. I also notice it’s 7:30 am. I’ve only been asleep for four hours, but I know if River is calling, it’s important.

  “Yeah,” I answer, rubbing my eyes and trying to wake up a bit.

  “Hey, Jax. I know it’s early, but I’ve got some news. I’m calling church in 30 minutes, everyone needs to be there.”

  “Got it. I’ll be there. I’m already at the club.”

  “Taking care of your girl?”

  I sigh. “She’s not my girl.” I want her to be, though, I think to myself. I don’t want to get into it with River right now. He already warned me to be careful.

  “Well, take good care of her anyway. She came down for lunch yesterday. Seemed a bit skittish at first but warmed up pretty quickly. She even shook my hand and called me ‘sir.’” He chuckles at that.

  “Sir?” I laugh along with him. She’s too fucking adorable.

  “Mia and Stacy hung out with her the rest of the afternoon watching some medical drama about McDonald’s and dreams or some shit.”

  I smile at the thought of Claire getting along with Mia and Stacy. I doubt she’s had any real friends for a long time and I can’t imagine anyone better to keep her company while I’m out doing club business. “Oh, good. Thanks for keeping an eye on her.”

  River grunts in response. “Yeah, yeah. We promised protection, didn’t we? Although she might not need it, she looks like she put up a good fight.”

  “She shouldn’t have to put up a good fight,” I growl into the phone. I know he’s just kidding but the idea of her in a fight and having no one to help her has me on edge.

  “Calm the fuck down, Jax. She’s a good kid. You know we’ll have her back.”

  “Yeah, thanks,” I manage.

  “I gotta call the others, see you soon.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  We hang up and wonder if it’s too early to see Claire. I only have 25 minutes now and I know if she’s awake that won’t be enough time with her. Even if we don’t kiss, I just want to be around her. Hold her. Feel her against me. Breathe her in.

  Fuck.

  My dick twitches at the thought.

  I have to get up and get ready or else I’m going to have to jerk off to her again.

  ***

  “Alright, brothers,” River begins. “We’ve got some news. Jax and Dominic found our rat, or rather, our rats and beat some answers out of them. T
urns out they were skimming and selling for themselves.”

  “No way!”

  “Fuckers.”

  “Goddamnit!”

  The other members were about as happy about it as we were. Loyalty was huge when it came to Chaos. We didn’t give second chances.

  “They have been dealt with,” River continues. “Their buyer demanded more, threatened them, and got the info on the last shipment. We got the name of the buyer though – a douche who goes by the name Savage. Unfortunately, there is no other info on him. He’s a ghost. The Scorpions and Devil’s Knights all got the same info – Savage seems to be attempting to take over the whole territory.”

  “So what do we do?” Wren asks.

  “We keep the rats on a short leash until Savage reaches out again to make another deal. Then we get to his people and work our way up from there. In the meantime, we keep digging. Turn over every rock, bark up every tree in case there’s anything out there on him.”

  Heads nod all around the room.

  “Jax, Dom, you guys need to go prep the rats. Let them know in no uncertain terms what we expect of them. Use whatever means necessary to get it done.”

  “On it, prez.”

  Church was dismissed a few minutes later. Dom makes his way over to me, cracking his knuckles.

  “Ready for round two?”

  “You know I never back down from a fight. First I gotta go see Claire.” There’s no way in hell I’m going another 10 hours without seeing her. “I have to change her bandages.”

  Dom smirks at me. “Is that what you kids are calling it these days?”

  I roll my eyes. He definitely called me out. Not that I was going up there to fuck her. But I sure as hell wanted to do more than just change her bandages.

  “Go ahead and go change her bandages. I’ll meet you here in an hour.”

  As soon as he turns around, I practically run towards her room in the back of the club.

  ***

  I knock on the door and eventually open it when I don’t hear anything. She’s not in her room, and I start to panic.

  Maybe she left. She said she wanted to leave. FUCK, I should have had someone else watching her.