Three Strikes (Demons Disciples MC Book 1)

by Allana Walker

  Waving him off, I look across the street and see Striker standing by his bike, staring at me. Tearing my eyes away from him, I close the door, walking to the living room to clear away the remnants of the ice cream, wine glasses and bottle, and the broken glass. I prepare myself for a big fight that will happen in the next few minutes when hurricane Striker comes storming in to accuse me of God knows what.

  I’m ready for you, Striker.

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Striker

  Waking up in the clubhouse and Daria is not beside me only tells me how much I love her and miss her. I couldn’t fall asleep for hours. I must have only got about two hours; I was worried about her all night. Was she safe? Did she do something stupid? Will she still be at the house? Has she left? All manner of things run through my head. I throw on my clothes then walk through to the kitchen and see Fran and Nico making coffee.

  “Morning, sweetie.” Fran kisses my cheek, handing me a cup of coffee.

  “Morning,” I reply and look to Nico. “You look like shit.”

  “Same to you, asshole.” He flips me off. “You stay here last night?”

  “Yeah, thought it best I gave Daria some breathing space and actually do as I’m told for once.” He chuckles, sipping his coffee. “How’s your mom?”

  He shrugs his shoulder. “Don’t know. I stayed here last night. I actually hoped Daria would be here by now.”

  “You should go talk to your mom, Nico,” I suggest. “She already has Daria hating her. She’ll be crushed if she thinks you don’t want to talk to her either.”

  “Yeah, I’ll go see her later.” Nodding his head, he looks at me. “You didn’t screw around on Daria did you?”

  “Nico, what the fuck, man?” I choke on my coffee. “No, I didn’t.”

  “I didn’t mean last night, I mean throughout the whole time you’ve been together.”

  “No, man. I would never cheat on Daria.” I’m hurt he would think that of me. He’s been with me the majority of the time I’ve been away from Daria, but I always go right back to her as soon as we’re home from a run or whatever.

  “I just wanted to make sure. It’s just I overheard the whores chatting and Tori said she fucked you a few weeks back. I just wanted to make sure.”

  That bitch will be the fucking death of me and Daria.

  “I swear on Emily’s life that I haven’t.” He nods. “I’m going to check on Daria. She’s not picking up her cell.”

  “You got it bad, man.” Snickers chortles as we walk through the bar. “If I had her in my bed, I wouldn’t want a whore.” His eyes roll back, and he bites his lip.

  “Snickers, that’s my sister, you sick fuck,” Nico snaps.

  “Hey, I’m not the one fucking your sister.” He laughs, holding his hands up looking at me.

  Shaking my head, I leave before he says anything else and witness Nico beat up an old guy. Swinging my leg over my bike, I see Tori pull up. She looks over at me and blows me a kiss. Fucking whore. Shaking my head, I speed off. I need to see Daria.

  As I arrive, I notice a car in our drive. It’s not Daria’s car, or Nicholas’. The door opens, and I see a guy walk out first. Jake. Daria comes into view, and she’s wearing skimpy shorts, her long legs on show for everyone to see, and a tight vest top. She leans in and hugs him and he kisses her cheek. She watches him drive away. Our eyes lock, and she’s the first to look away and walks back inside. Throwing my helmet down, I march towards the house.

  Walking in, I see her. She looks up but doesn’t say anything. I spy the two wine glasses, broken glass on the floor, and the empty bottle. My hand makes a fist, my fingertips digging into my palm, trying desperately to calm myself, but I can’t. She breezes past me. I follow her, but she still ignores me.

  She walks up to our room, but I stay down here. I’m not leaving until she talks and tells me why that asshole was here when she said she wanted to be alone. Daria walks in to pick up her cell.

  “You just going to ignore the fact that I’m here?”

  “I told you, Striker. I wanted to be alone.” Sighing, she turns her back on me, walking towards the living area.

  Is she fucking kidding? She’s really going to lie to me? After everything we’ve been through?

  “Alone? Really, Daria?” I seethe.

  “Yes, Striker. Believe it or not, I do like to be alone and not under you twenty-four seven.”

  “Well, Daria. Believe it or not, I wanted to come home to see how my girlfriend was after last night because I was worried sick all night thinking you would do something stupid!” I shout. “But you wanted to be alone with your fucking ex-husband!”

  “Striker, I didn't invite him over.”

  “Did you sleep with him?” I ask, looking at her. She doesn't say anything but continues to make her coffee. “Daria, answer the question.” My heart is beating so fast I think it's about to explode into a million pieces.

  “Don't be fucking stupid.” She shakes her head.

  “Answer the fucking question, Daria. Did you fucking sleep with him?” I roar, spinning her to look at me. Her eyes widen and gloss over the longer she looks at me. “I'll take that silence as a yes,” I scoff, shaking my head and turning away from her. “I fucking knew this would happen. You would fuck me over and go back to your ex-husband. What, you got your fill of the big bad biker, someone to fuck you hard to forget your problems? Do what your husband couldn’t give you? Huh?” I spit, my voice venomous. “I was up all night thinking you had hurt yourself or packed all your shit and left.” I run my hand through my hair. “You wanted your ex-fucking-husband here instead of me. How the fuck do you think that made me feel, Daria? Like I’m not good enough to see you through this. I fucking love you. I wanted to come be with you and comfort you the best I can. What do I see when I pull up? That son of a bitch walking out like he owns the fucking place.” Lifting one of the chairs, I launch it towards the wall, my anger getting the better of me. It shatters to pieces, like my heart.

  “No, Striker.” She tries to grab at my arm as I turn to leave. “Striker, please.” I push her off me, causing her to lose her footing and bang her head on the table. “Striker. Please.” She sniffs, touching her forehead. “I love you.”

  “Yeah, well, I never loved you. It was all a big joke to get you into bed. Someone I could fuck every chance I got.” Kneeling down, I go up close to her ear. “You're nothing but a fucking whore. Not a very good one at that.” Leaving before I say anything else, I slam the door and climb on my bike. Before I drive off, I hear a loud smash hitting the door. Closing my eyes and taking a deep breath, I rev my engine a drive off.

  I need to get away from her.

  Chapter Thirty –Six

  Daria

  I watch Striker storm out, the things he said to me running through my head. You’re nothing but a whore. Not a very good one at that. I never loved you.

  Picking up the glass vase to the side of me, I launch it at the door. Letting out a loud scream, I pull at my hair. Standing, I swipe my arm across the table, photos of Emily as a baby, family photos, and another vase fly across the floor, smashing to a million pieces. Sliding down the wall, hugging my knees, the tears fall again. I hold a piece of glass in my hand. I stare at it and rub it against the scar left on my wrist.

  I hear the door clicking open, and looking over, I see Nico. He looks at the carnage surrounding me, then towards me.

  “Daria? What happened?” he asks, walking across the broken glass and broken pieces of my heart. Looking up into Nico's eyes, I see them look from the glass in my hand to the cut above my eye. Reaching over, he takes the glass from me. “Daria, tell me what happened.”

  His face contorts into something I've never seen before from him. Anger. He's pissed.

  “Nothing.” I have to look away because he's scaring the shit out of me right now, more than Striker ever has in the past.

  “Don't bullshit me, Daria. What the fuck happened?” He
tugs my arm to turn me and make me look at him. Searching my face, he seems to have figured out what has happened. “Striker did this?” It sounds like he doesn’t believe Striker would hit me. Which he didn't, I just lost my footing.

  “No, Nico. Striker didn't hit me. Don't be stupid. I lost my footing and banged my head on the table.” I sniff, standing up, staggering a little, but Nico catches me.

  “Don't lie to me,” he grinds out. “Mom used to give those same exact excuses.”

  “I'm not lying.” I raise my voice a little.

  “Well, let's see what he has to say for himself then, shall we?” Just like that, he left me. I hear his bike roaring down the street.

  Shit. I jump up, throw on my sneakers, and start running to my car as fast as I can to catch up with him.

  Making it there, I see Nico storming into the clubhouse. Fuck.

  Throwing the door open, I sprint over to him, but I’m too late.

  “Motherfucker. I told you I would kill you if you hurt her. Now, I will make good on my promise.” His fist rains down on Striker, who refuses to fight back.

  “Nico, stop!” I cry. “Please, Nico.” I try to pull him off but he throws me off him so forcibly I land on the table, slamming my stomach into the corner.

  “Shit, Daria.” Blair runs over to me to make sure I’m all right, while my brother beats the living shit out of my boyfriend. “Are you okay?” I blow out, but it hurts to breathe. I nod, not letting him know how hurt I really am.

  “What the fuck is going on?” Barron roars, making me jump. He looks around the room, his eyes landing on me. Nico finally stops punching Striker when a few of the brothers come out with Barron. It takes five of them to pull him off Striker.

  “Your fucking son is beating up my sister! That's what's going on!” Nico snaps, looking towards me holding my ribs and stomach. Barron comes to my side and looks at the cut above my eye.

  “Is this true, sweetheart?” Barron asks me. He’s no longer the sweet, caring Barron I know and love as a dad. He’s in president mode.

  “No.” I sniff, Blair rubbing my arm. “I told you what happened, Nico. I fucking told you!” I shout, but stop when pain shoots through my stomach.

  “She fucked her ex-husband!” Striker wipes the blood from his lip, getting to his feet.

  “You're wrong.” I shake my head as tears fall. “You're so damn wrong.” With that, I leave.

  “Jess?” I sniff as I call my best friend. “I need you. I need you, now.” I hang up, throwing my car into drive and speeding away. Looking in my rear view mirror, I see Striker watching me drive off.

  As much as it pains me to say this, I don’t know if we can come back from this, this time.

  ***

  “Jesus, what the hell happened, Daria?” Jess asks when I arrive at her parents’ house. True to his word, Jake picked Emily up and dropped her off at his dad’s while he went into the office. Jess sits me down and gets antiseptic liquid and cotton balls. She presses it against my cut, making me hiss out in pain. A pain I welcome if it makes me forget everything else. “Sorry.”

  “Where do I start? My life is a mess, Jess.” I sniff.

  “Start with where you got this big gash on your head.”

  I begin telling her what happened and how Nico flew off the handle. “I don’t know what to do anymore, Jess. I love Striker. I mean, really love him.” I look at my best friend and sister with tears in my eyes. “I know it sounds cheesy and you’ll think I’m just being a hopeless romantic who has watched too many romance movies and read too many books, but I actually miss him when he’s not with me. I want to be around him every second of every day.” Wiping my nose with the back of my sleeve. “I acted like I didn’t give a shit about his feelings, Jess. I was so horrible to him when he came home.”

  “But? I have a feeling there’s a but coming.” Jess reaches over and wipes a rogue tear away.

  “But, I can’t be with someone who doesn’t trust me.”

  “Trust is the most crucial part of any relationship, Daria. If there’s no trust, the relationship won’t work.”

  “I don’t think we can come back from this, Jess.” I confide in her like I do with everything in my life. She doesn’t say a word, she comforts me like always. I would be lost without her.

  She’s the other half of me, my ride or die.

  If everyone leaves me and I don’t have anyone in my life, I know I will always have her, no matter what.

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  Striker

  After Fran cleaned me up, Dad called me and Nico into his office, Nico still staring a hole through me, looking like he wants to kill me. He can fucking try. I’ll be ready the next time.

  “Right, who wants to go first?” Dad snaps, looking between us. I feel like I’m eleven years old again, sitting in Principle Pillman’s office next to Nico after we got into a fight with two older kids who were calling him names and other stuff about me in particular. We were suspended for a month, and Dad whooped my ass and banned me from seeing Nico during that time.

  “Your fucking son can explain why my sister had a cut on her forehead and why there was broken glass all over the floor like there was a fight.” Nico sneers at me, his lips curling up in disgust.

  “I never touched her,” I mutter in a bored tone, holding the ice pack on my lip.

  “Fucking liar. She was sat with blood dripping down her face. You came in here not long before in a fucked off mood with blood on your hand.”

  It’s not until now I see I have her blood on me.

  “She fucked her ex-husband last night,” I say through gritted teeth. “She’s a fucking whore.” The words taste bitter in my mouth.

  Nico jumps to his feet and goes for me again, but Dad catches him before he gets to me. “You’re a fucking asshole. Jess was right about you all along. Nothing but a fuck-up who doesn’t deserve shit. I can’t believe I ever fought in your corner. You ever go near my sister again, I will fucking kill you.”

  “Nico, enough.” Dad tries to calm him down. “Go see Daria, make sure she’s okay.” He pushes Nico out the door, and when he’s gone, he says, “Son, you had better start talking.” He pinches the bridge of his nose.

  “Talk about what?”

  “Striker Evan Xanders, I swear to all things Holy, if you don’t tell me what the fuck happened I will whoop your ass worse than Nico ever did.” He pounds his fist on the desk.

  “What do you want me to say, Dad? That the woman I love, the one woman I thought I had a future with has fucked me over? That I’ve lost, not only my best friend, but the one person I could count on to be there for me when I fuck up?” I shout. “Tell you that for the first time in a long time, I feel loved. Truly and deeply loved!” Tears fall unbidden from my eyes. I swallow through the lump in my throat. “Tell you that my heart has been taken out and torn to shreds and that I fucking hate this feeling that I have lost Daria and Emily forever!”

  Dad walks up to me and does something that shocks the hell out of me. Taking me in his arms, he cradles my head against his chest. I cry. Hard. I don’t think I have ever cried this hard in my whole thirty-one years on God’s green Earth. Not even when Mom died.

  “Son, I’m going to ask you one more time.” He pauses, looking me in the eye, and I know what’s coming. “Did you hit Daria?”

  He looks at me closely. He’s ex-military and he knows when people are lying. Staring back at him, I answer honestly. “No. I would never hit a woman.”

  “I believe you. You need to talk to Nico, tell him what you told me. I would let him cool off first. I would also go talk to Daria. Tell her everything, son. The parts you haven’t told her yet.”

  Looking down, I know he’s right. I don’t want to lose her or Emily for good. May be too late for that.

  Walking out, I see Nico’s still here. His eyes clash with mine and he slams his bottle of beer down, curling his lip up in disgust at me and storms out. Looking down,
I’m defeated that I’ve lost almost everyone I’ve ever loved.

  Love that I don’t deserve.

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Daria

  “Hi, Daria, sweetheart,” Alex greets me as Jess and I sit having coffee. She looks at my face and the cut above my eye. “What happened?” I don’t get a chance to say anything when Nico storms in.

  “Fucking Striker happened.” I lift my head, looking at him. “Should have killed the fucker.” He pulls out a beer. “Touching my sister like that and thinks he can get away with it because he thinks you fucked Jake.”

  “Shut up.” I close my eyes, but he continues talking shit and saying things he has no idea about. “Shut up!” I scream at him, my chair falling with a thud. Alex’s hand rubs my back, trying to calm me down. “You have no idea what the fuck happened, Nico. You came in and saw what you did and came up with your own conclusion. You didn’t wait for me to say anything!”

  “What’s going on?” Tyler walks in with Ezra, looking between us all. “Well?”

  “He hit you, Daria!” Nico barks, his eyes fixed on me.

  “How many times? He did not hit me, Nico.” I close my eyes, trying to calm myself before I say something stupid that I will regret.

  “I think we should leave these two to talk,” Alex suggests. Jess stands and kisses my cheek, whispering in my ear, “I’ll be in the next room.”

  They leave us to talk, but suddenly he has nothing to say.

  “Nothing to say now we’re alone? No-one to hear you tear Striker down?”

  “Daria, he didn’t deny hitting you. The mess of the house when I saw you. The cut above your eye. Everything was adding up to that scenario I had drawn up in my head.” He sits beside me at the table. “I got flashbacks of Mom and the way she used to try to lie about where she got the bruises from. I don’t want that for you.”

  His admission makes me tear up again; I have an over-protective brother. As much as I hate him for going off at the deep end, I can’t help but smile through my tears. “Why are you smiling?”