15. Tempe

15

Tempe

At twenty-two, I shouldn’t be so jaded. But putting up defenses is what feels safe, and it’s the only way I survived my childhood, so I can’t seem to help it.

I learned at a young age that trust is delicate. People enjoy breaking it more than building upon it.

Mom’s half-hearted promises.

Men constantly coming and going.

After a while, I learned not to count on anyone but myself. I survived, earning every inch of my thick skin in the process.

So I can’t figure out how Jameson gets under it so easily.

He asked for my trust, and I wanted to think I was handing it to him, not his club. I wanted to think there was still a man beneath the skull and wings on his cut. I forgot for a second that these men plant their roots here, watering them with the blood of their traitors, sacrificing everything until that’s all they are: a Twisted King.

Jameson probably thinks I left the barbeque because of Reina, but she was just one more reminder of how little I fit into this place. How this is all temporary for me, but for them, this is everything they believe in.

I understand his loyalty.

I even understand Reina’s jealousy.

What I can’t do is make myself a part of it. No amount of explanation erases the fact that this is his home, not mine. I need to stop getting so comfortable when I’ll be gone soon.

Once Jameson takes out the threat, Austin and I are leaving. It’s just the two of us, and I can’t let myself think anything more than that.

Luna bounces up and down, circling the punching bag. It’s unnecessary in a fight, but I’m getting the impression she’d rather be moving around than sitting still. Finally pausing at the other side, she plants a right hook on the bag with all her strength, hitting the bag so hard her purple hair almost falls out of her bun with the sheer force of it.

“Nice.” I watch her continue to circle before she jabs at it again.

Nothing clears the mind like movement, so I’m thankful Luna is apparently as active as I am. She showed up at the house this morning to see if I wanted to work out and asked if I was still willing to teach her how to throw a punch .

It was the perfect excuse to get out of the house, even if we are still on the Twisted Kings compound.

There are several buildings scattered across the property, and the gym is one of them. It looks like an old barn that’s been converted. The doors are wide open since it’s a nice day outside, but the large air conditioning unit proves it must get blistering hot in here in the middle of summer.

Austin is building tents and car ramps with the mats in the corner while Luna and I work out.

“That was good.” I smile when she hits the bag again. “Remember, the key is to punch through it . Pretend you’re trying to hit whatever’s on the other side.”

Luna nods, readjusting her stance. She winds her arm back and strikes the bag again, harder this time. It swings, making the rafter creak.

“That’s it.”

She shakes her hand, rubbing her knuckles. “That hurts.”

“A little bit. But the goal is that it hurts them more.”

Luna laughs, stepping back so I can get a few jabs in. One punch after another, my thoughts drift with the rhythm.

I still remember when I first learned how to throw a punch. Helix was passing through Houston, and we were living there at the time. He showed up for my ninth birthday party and took me on an errand when it was over.

We stopped by a gym so he could meet up with the owner, and when he was done, he held one of the punching bags and walked me through how to punch someone without breaking my hand.

It’s one of the few good things he showed me, even if Mom wasn’t happy about it.

She said men want a lady, not a warrior, and that’s one more thing I didn’t agree with her on. If she was the picture of a lady, then it was nothing to look up to. Men walked all over her, and she accepted it.

I refused to be like her—to be anything less than my unapologetic self for a man—even if it meant I couldn’t be loved.

I strike the bag again, and my knuckles burn. My entire body aches as I hit it over and over. My lungs sting as I work through it, but it feels good to get out of the house and move.

Landing a final punch, I grab the bag to steady it.

“Damn, girl, you can hit.” Luna wipes her hair off her sweaty forehead, smiling as she takes a sip from her water bottle.

“Clearly.” Jameson’s voice comes from across the barn, and I look to see him standing with Havoc in the doorway.

I’m drenched in sweat from working out, and my hair is sticking out in all directions, but I don’t try to fix it as he walks up to me.

“Jameson!” Austin runs through the barn, always so happy to see him.

He holds up his hand, and Austin gives him a high five.

I should be comforted by the trust my brother shows him, but when this is over, Jameson will be another man he’ll lose from his life .

Jameson squats down so Austin can show him his red toy car, and he points out a couple of parts when Austin asks what they are.

“Do you think the car can jump as tall as me?” Austin asks, holding his arm up.

“Only one way to find out.” Jameson stands back up, planting his hand on Austin’s head and shaking his hair around. “Go build a ramp, and we’ll test it.”

Austin runs off, and Jameson makes his way over to me.

“You’re good with kids.” My gaze moves from Jameson to Austin.

Jameson glances at Havoc when he laughs at my comment.

“What?”

“Nothing.” Jameson shoots Havoc a glare, watching him walk to Luna before glancing back at me. “I was wondering where you went.”

“Luna asked if I’d work out with her for a bit, and I needed to move around. Nice gym.” I wave my arms out. “Hope you don’t mind.”

“Of course not.”

“So what brings you here?” I ask. “Pearl knew where we were going, so I assumed she’d tell you where we went.”

“She did. And I remembered Luna asking you to teach her a few things, so I figured I’d see if you still need my services.”

“You were serious about that?”

Jameson might have volunteered himself during the barbeque, but I assumed that was just flirtation. Especially since I haven’t seen much of him since.

“I’m always serious.” Jameson shrugs. “Use me all you need, wildfire.”

Those words should not be as hot as they are. But coming from his mouth in the middle of this warm barn has my body burning up.

Jameson’s black T-shirt hugs his muscular arms, and his square jaw ticks with his smirk. His ocean-gray eyes brew in a challenge.

“You sure?” I hitch an eyebrow. “I won’t take it easy on you, and I wouldn’t want to embarrass you in front of your friend.”

Jameson steps closer. “Please do.”

My eyebrow quirks, and I look up at him.

Touching him might be the most dangerous thing for me, but I can’t resist his challenge.

“All right.” I take a step back, and his gaze skims me. “Try to get me then.”

Jameson drags his teeth over his bottom lip, and I’m tempted to let him win. My body feels like it’s been in hibernation, and this man drags it out of hiding. He looks me up and down, and my skin prickles.

“You gonna knock some sense into him, Tempe?” Havoc asks, chuckling from the edge of the mat.

I look over my shoulder and see him sitting next to Luna.

“That’s assuming there’s any sense to be knocked into him.” I glance at Jameson. “Guess we’ll find out.”

Jameson grins as he starts to circle. We don’t take our eyes off each other as we play this game of cat and mouse.

“You scared, Jameson?” I ask when he’s yet to move in .

“Should I be?”

I shrug. “Don’t worry, I won’t be mean.”

“What do you consider mean?”

“Kneeing you in the nuts.”

Jameson laughs. “How kind of you.”

“Not really.” I smirk. “I just don’t want to face the wrath of your fan club if I accidentally take you out of commission.”

“Good to know you show mercy, wildfire.” Jameson starts to close in. “Let’s see what you got.”

I turn my back on Jameson so I’m facing Luna, and he pauses behind me.

“Most men attack women from behind,” I say a moment before I feel the heat of Jameson’s body on me.

He circles an arm around my neck, and the full force of his chest presses flush to my back.

“You need to protect your airway first.” I grab his arm with both my hands and turn my chin to the crook of his elbow. “Tuck your chin.”

He’s holding me tight but still cooperating so I can show Luna the steps, which I appreciate.

“Got it.” She watches me, gripping the edge of her seat.

“Then you need to get leverage.” I step to the side to bring my leg behind his. “You need to take away his balance.”

With my leg behind Jameson’s, I jut my knee forward to force his to bend.

“Then you get big.” I straighten my leg at the same time as I stretch my arms out, knocking Jameson off me, and he barely manages to find his balance to stop himself from falling to the mat. “From there you would use some of the moves we were doing earlier. But I don’t think the patch bunnies would appreciate it if I broke his pretty face.”

Luna and Havoc burst out laughing.

“Pretty?” Jameson winks.

“Don’t get any ideas.” I roll my eyes.

I really shouldn’t be flirty with a man who is all wrong for me, but I can’t seem to help it.

“Nice.” Luna smiles, looking up at Havoc. “You gonna let me practice on you now?”

Havoc tips his head back and laughs. “Sure thing.”

They make their way to the middle of the mat while Jameson and I step off to the side.

“Thanks for taking it easy on me so I could show her.”

“I only went a little easy.” Jameson shrugs. “You still got me good.”

“I’m surprised you don’t mind.”

Most men I’ve met are intimidated when I show any hint of strength or confidence, but Jameson isn’t.

“What can I say…” Jameson follows me to the bench so I can grab my water bottle. “I like when a girl can hold her own.”

“Unfortunate necessity sometimes.”

Jameson’s jaw clenches, but he doesn’t respond. He waits for me to take a drink and then walks with me to the barn door so I can get some fresh air.

Luna and Havoc are still fighting each other in the center of the gym, and when his body slams to the ground, the thud echoes through the barn .

Jameson leans against the barn door, watching me take another drink of water. “What are you thinking?”

“That I can’t believe you grew up here.” I look around at the wide stretch of empty desert. “I guess I’m not the only one with an unconventional childhood.”

“I guess.” He shrugs. “It’s good and bad, depending on how you look at it.”

I nod. “When I was a kid, I’d have given anything to live in suburbia and have a normal, boring life. But I guess looking back, I can’t imagine not growing up how I did. How else would I have learned all the useless, odd skill sets I picked up from childhood?”

“Such as?” He crosses his arms over his broad chest.

“Taxidermy, for one.” I shiver at the thought.

Jameson’s face pinches. “Taxidermy?”

“Yeah. That’s something I wish I knew nothing about. I was vegan for a year after my mom dated that guy.” I hold up a finger, counting the odd things I’ve learned through the years. “Knife throwing, glassblowing, card counting… And then there was the Houdini wannabe she had a one-month fling with who taught me how to pick every kind of lock you can think of. I could win an award for all the random things I know.”

Jameson chuckles, looking out at the desert.

“What about you, Mr. President?” I tease him. “Any fun tricks up your sleeve? ”

He watches me, dragging his teeth over his lower lip, and my core flutters, considering whatever just crossed his mind. Luckily, he doesn’t share it.

“When I was thirteen, my dad taught me how to make stained glass.” Jameson tucks his hands in his pockets.

My eyebrows pinch. “Because that’s a necessary life skill for a biker?”

“His response would be you never know .” Jameson shakes his head. “Really it was because he was working with a guy who owned a window shop, and Dad was transporting product with the glass shipments. We spent so much time there that I picked up a few things.”

Something about his confession makes him feel less like a figurehead and more human. It makes me want to learn more.

“Jameson. Tempe.” Austin runs up, cutting off our conversation. “The ramp is ready.”

“All right, show us.” I squeeze Austin’s shoulder.

But as soon as I start to move, a bang at a distance freezes me in place.

Instinct tells me to run. To duck. To grab my brother. But I can’t seem to make my body do any of those things.

I’m still processing the first bang when there’s a succession of others at a distance, and Jameson’s body slams into me so quickly, it takes me a moment to process what he’s doing.

He has one arm around Austin and the other around me as he puts himself between us and the gunshots without hesitating for a second. He shoves us back into the barn, shielding us as gunshots continue to ring out from all around .

His body is flush with mine as he presses me to a beam, and only when the gunshots stop does he take a step back.

“Austin.” Jameson looks down at my brother first. “Are you okay?”

Austin’s hands are shaking, gripping my arm.

“I—” Austin’s voice stutters, and he doesn’t take his eyes off Jameson as I drop to my knees and start patting Austin’s shirt, checking for injuries.

“Nothing, he’s good.” I pat his arms and stomach and then rest my hands on mine. “We’re both okay.”

Except we’re not. None of this is.

Looking up at Jameson, I process what just happened. His hand is on my shoulder; his body’s between us and the doorway.

“You protected us,” I whisper.

He kept us safe.