“I feel protected. I have a big brother to protect me from the bad guys.” I shrug, but my smile disappears. “But seriously, Striker isn’t the bad guy in this story. Not this chapter, anyway.”
“Daria, what did happen then? I need to know.”
“He accused me of sleeping with Jake. He then said he never loved me and the whole time we were together, it was just a big joke to get me in bed. Someone to screw every chance he got.” I repeat the words Striker spoke a few hour ago. They still sting. My chin trembles, and I have to bite down on my bottom lip to stop the tears from falling. I don’t want to cry again. Nico still looks like he wants to kill Striker.
“He said all that to you?”
“Nico, please. I’ve heard worse.” I place my hand on his clenched fist. “Please just leave it. You’re getting married soon. The last thing I want is you and Striker fighting because of me. He’s your best friend, your brother.”
“Fine.” He sighs. “But, you have to bear with me. I’m still getting used to the fact that I have a little sister who my best friend is screwing and has a child with.”
“I don’t think you’ll have to deal with that any longer. Striker and me, I mean.”
“Why?”
“A relationship isn’t one without trust. This morning proved he doesn’t trust me, and to be honest, I’m not sure if I fully trust him around the whores at the club.”
“Striker is many things, but a cheat is not one of them.” He tries to appease me, but it doesn’t work.
“Maybe, but I can’t go on like this.”
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Nico looks concerned. “I mean, I walked in and you had a piece of glass at your wrist.”
“To be honest, no. I’m not okay. If you hadn’t walked in, I would have done it.”
“You ever feel like that again, you call me straight away.” He pulls me to him and kisses my head. “You hear me, cupcake?” I giggle at the pet name.
“Cupcake?”
“Yeah. Thought I would try out a nickname for you.” He looks sheepishly at me.
“I love it.”
“Is it safe to come in? Is my kitchen like a warzone?” Alex calls through.
“It’s safe!” Nico calls back.
Jess comes through and looks between us. “You both good?”
“Yeah.”
“I need to go talk to Striker,” Nico announces, standing.
“Please don’t kill him and get yourself arrested.” Jess sighs.
“I won’t babe. Besides, I have a sister who works for the best law firm. No jail time for me.” He winks at me, but Jess slaps his chest.
“Still training, Nico.”
“Don’t even joke about that.”
“Babe, I’m just going to talk to him.” He chuckles, leaning down to kiss her cheek.
After Nico leaves, Jess turns to me. “You ready to see me in my wedding dress?”
“Anything to get my mind off of all this shit.” I sigh.
“Let’s go, girls,” Alex says, waiting for us.
***
“So, what do you think, Daria? Daria? Hello?”
“Huh?” I shake my head and focus on my best friend. We came to the bridal shop after Nico left to talk with Striker. She wanted my opinion. I couldn’t come with her the first time as Emily had a basketball game I couldn’t miss.
“Are you sure you’re okay to be here?”
“Of course. You look beautiful.” She’s trying on her wedding dress again.
“Daria, what's going on?”
“What do you mean? I'm fine.” I drain my glass of champagne.
“Come on, Daria. You're not here like you would normally be. I mean, you're here but you're not.”
“I'm just not feeling it right now.” I miss Striker. Plain and simple. I miss him so much I feel a part of me die a little more every hour that we're apart.
“Dee, go talk to him,” she encourages me. “He needs you and misses you too.”
“No. I'm here. You need me more.” I need to be here for her.
“Daria, we both know that's not true. Striker needs you more than I do right now.” She giggles then her face turns serious.
“What?”
“Look,” she sighs. “Just don't give up on him. He thought the worst of you because he loves you so much, Daria. Nico said he's never loved anyone or anything as much as he loves you.”
“You sure you'll be fine?”
“I have Mom here. Besides, I have one final fitting. We can come back when you're more in to it.” She looks to the assistant to ask if that’s okay. The assistant nods and smiles. “Go talk to him.”
After hugging Jess and Alex goodbye, I catch a cab over to the clubhouse. Taking a few deep breaths, I walk through the doors. I'm met with something that tears my heart into a thousand pieces. The whole scene blurs before me. I feel light-headed because my breathing has become so ragged, and I struggle to get a lungful of air. I can't breathe.
My heart.
“Daria?” a concerned male voice shouts. I turn around to see Chucky. I feel his hands on my back, rubbing up and down. “Daria, sweetie. Deep breaths.” He helps me by mimicking the breathing. He takes my head in his hands and I look at him and burst into tears, hugging him tightly.
This is it. This is the final nail in the coffin for us.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Striker
In the space of a day, I have lost my girlfriend, my heart, and my best friend. This is why I don’t let people in. Why I keep the wall so high not even Charles Austin can jump over and talk to me. I knew this would happen. Knew deep down she would go back to Jake. He’s more her fit. You sound like her stepmom.
“Striker.” Looking to my right, I see Nico handing me a beer. “I’m not going to apologize for kicking your ass.”
Blowing out a laugh, I shake my head. “I let you kick my ass.”
“Whatever, man.” Nico drinks his shot. “I saw her on the floor with a bloody head after you looked like you had just killed someone and the blood on your hand. I jumped. Daria made me see I maybe overreacted. She says nothing happened. I believe her.”
“Doesn’t explain the fact that she lied to me though, Nico. She told me she wanted to be alone but she just didn’t want me there. She wanted that asshole there instead.” Gripping the neck of the bottle, imagining it’s Jake’s neck, I squeeze.
“Striker, she didn’t want anyone with her last night. Not Jake. Not me. Not even Jess. She did want to be alone. Jess called Jake. She wanted him to go over to make sure she didn’t do anything. You know what I saw when I walked in this morning? I saw a completely broken woman, holding a broken shard of glass to her wrist.” My eyes snap up to him when he feeds me this piece of information. “You know what she admitted me? That she would have done it if I hadn’t walked in.” He speaks after a beat of silence, and pain seeps through my veins, all the way to my already broken heart. “Do you have any idea how much it hurt me to hear that from her? I just got my little sister, and as quick as that, she was almost taken away from me.”
“I did that. I drove her to take that piece of glass.” I stare into my bottle of beer. “Everything I touch turns to dust. She’s better off without me.” Draining my beer, I grab the full bottle of Jack from behind the bar and begin walking away.
After about an hour of sulking, taking my frustrations out on the punch bag down in the gym, I grab the now empty bottle of Jack and launch it at the wall opposite me. Blair comes in, about to start his workout.
“You all right, Striker?”
I scoff at him. “Do yourself a favor, kid. Don’t open your heart to anyone. Better yet, don’t fucking listen to it.” I stumble out and call to him. “Clean that glass up, prospect.”
Staggering to the bar, I grab a bottle of God knows what, but it’s alcohol and it will make me forget, even if it is for a little while.
“Striker, you need help taking the
edge off?” Brittney purrs, her hand rubbing down my stomach. I sling my arm around her shoulders and her face lights up like a fucking Christmas tree. I pull her closer to me, leaning my mouth down to her ear.
“You want my big cock in your pussy?” She nods and moans. “You want me to fuck you hard and fast, pulling your hair as I pound into your ass?” Her breathing changes to short bursts. “You want my tongue to lick your cunt?”
“Mmmhmm.” I can practically smell her she’s so wet. Smiling down at her, I see hope in her eyes. She’s been trying to get on my dick since she arrived.
“What about my woman?” I question her. “Will you tell her if I fuck you? Or will you be a good little whore and keep it between us?”
“My lips are sealed.”
“Where’s the fun in that? How would you fuck my cock with that mouth if your lips are sealed?” Her hand moves lower and I catch it and squeeze hard. “Keep your filthy hands off me.” My voice is dripping with venom. “I don’t fuck desperate whores. Especially when I have a diamond of a woman waiting for me at home.”
“She screwed her ex. She’s a slut.” Grabbing a handful of her hair, I pull hard, causing her to gasp out in pain. “Striker, you’re hurting me.”
“Talk like that about my old lady again, you won’t be feeling anything ever again.”
“I’m sorry.”
I shove her to Snickers, who catches her.
Straightening my back, don’t ask me how I know, but I felt like Daria was here. I look around, but she’s not there. You’ve truly lost it, man.
***
One week has passed since my life went to shit. Daria won’t see me or even talk to me. Emily stayed over at Dad’s house, where I’ve been staying, last night. At least she hasn’t stopped me seeing Emily.
It’s Daria. She always said she would never stop you seeing her.
“Morning, Dad.” Emily kisses my cheek, handing me a coffee when I walk into the kitchen.
“Morning, princess,” I reply.
“Sleep all right, son?” Dad asks as Emily places a plate of food in front of both of us. “Thank you, sweet pea.”
“Not really.” I shake my head then look to Emily and smile, “Thank you, princess. You didn’t have to go to the trouble.”
“I wanted to cheer you up.” She shrugs, eating her toast. I’m a lucky son of a bitch to have this girl as my daughter. She may look like me, but her heart is all her mother. “I did the same for Mom yesterday.” A cloud of sadness starts to descend over her eyes, but she seems to catch it before it fully takes over. “Can I stay here tonight again, Grandpa?”
“Of course.”
“What’s wrong with Mom’s?” I question.
“She has Aunt Jess’ bachelorette tonight, and Dad is away on business. Mom said I can ask to stay here an extra night if I don’t want go to Grandpa Denver’s.”
“You’re welcome here anytime, sweet pea.” Dad stands and kisses her head. “Come on, I’ll drop you off at school.”
“On your bike?” Her whole face lights up like a beacon at the thought of riding on the back of dads bike.
“No,” I say, harder than I meant to. “Sorry. You know your mom doesn’t want you on the back of a bike.”
“Mom won’t know.” She bats her big blue eyes at me. She almost gets me, but Dad steps in.
“No, we’ll take the car. I wouldn’t forgive myself if anything happened to you while on the back of my bike.”
“Dad’s done it before.” Emily throws me under the bus.
“Your father, going against your mother’s wishes? Never.” Nico laughs, walking in.
“Uncle Nico.” Emily smiles, hugging him.
“Better get to school, Ems. Your mom is in a bad mood as it is, without Grandpa getting you to school late adding it to the mix.”
Daria’s in a bad mood?
Duh, her life has turned upside down since you came into her life.
Emily and Dad leave so it’s just me and Nico.
“Ask me.” He sighs.
“Ask you what?”
“Ask me how she is.” Nico smirks. “I know you’re dying to ask someone and I don’t think you would want to ask Jess.”
“How is she?”
“Honestly? On the surface, she looks like the normal, bubbly Daria I now know.” He smiles, but it’s short-lived. “But deep down, she’s a broken shell of herself, Striker. She misses you.” My ears prick up. “She refuses to admit it, but I see it.”
I push the food around on my plate. I haven’t been able to eat much, since I last saw her. The things I said to her, the way I just left her broken and bleeding. Just thinking about it makes my heart break. What’s left of it.
“You going to finish that?” Nico eyes my plate of untouched food. I push it towards him. “Have you been eating?” he asks me with a mouth full of pancakes.
“I can’t eat, Nico. I can’t sleep. I can’t function.” Standing, I begin to walk out of the kitchen to go for a shower.
“Do you miss her that much?”
I stop, close my eyes, and whisper to the air, “So damn much.”
***
I’m in the clubhouse; Nico thought it would do me good to get out of the house. Dad is at home with Emily, suffering watching some TV show about a twelve-year-old cat and pet goldfish. I have no idea, but she enjoys it which is the main thing.
“Come on, sweetheart. It will all work out in the end.” Fran pats my hand. Offering her a tight smile, I nod at her. I’m not so sure about that.
“Striker, you need to talk to her.” Nico sighs. “Both of you are miserable without each other. All this tension isn’t just affecting you two, it’s affecting me, Jess, our relationship. It’s affecting Mom because she blames herself for all of this. But the most important person this is affecting is Emily.” When he says how much this is affecting our daughter, it’s like a punch in the gut and the kick up the ass I need. “So, you can continue letting this eat you both up inside or you can do something about it and sort all this out before it kills one of you.”
“You’re right.”
“Of course I am. Seriously, Striker. You guys are supposed to be together, I knew it since you laid eyes on one another. Even if you did just think of her as jailbait.” He shakes his head, chuckling. “The Striker I knew back then wouldn’t let a little heartbreak get in the way of getting what he wanted.”
Standing, I drain my beer and begin walking out.
“Woah, where are you going?” Nico runs up to me, stepping in front of me.
“Getting what I want.” I sidestep him and he blocks me again. “Look, you’re the one who told me to get the tension sorted, and how much it’s affecting you all. I’m doing what you asked.”
“But, right now? The girls are out having a good time. Can you not just wait until tomorrow?” If I’m not mistaken, he looks scared. A smile pulls at my lips.
“Are you scared of Jessica?”
“Jess? Yes. But it’s Daria I’m petrified of. You didn’t see her this morning. She’s fucking crazy.” He shakes his head as if trying to forget something. “Look, let them have their fun tonight and you can go help her through her hangover tomorrow morning.”
“I’m not spending one more night away from her. I’ll make her listen to me if I have to.” I round him and climb on my bike. I hear Nico curse me and shout on a few other brothers.
Arriving at the club, Mars looks at me. “Are you prepared for what you might see in there?”
“What? What harm can they be doing? They’ll just be drinking cocktails and swapping stories about their husbands or boyfriends.” All the brothers look at me like I have ten heads.
“Have you ever seen a bachelorette party?” Mars asks. “That shit can get crazy, quickly.” He smirks.
“Yeah, man. I’m out.” Lucas stands back.
“You’re all a bunch of pussies.” Louis shakes his head, standing beside me. My eyes land on Ni
co, who sits on his bike.
“So much for brothers having each other’s backs.”
“You can face the wrath of eleven woman all you like. I would like to be able to use my dick again.” Nico shakes his head.
Louis and I leave the little girls outside and enter the club.
“Holy shit.” Louis looks around the club as he spots Jess and Daria and the rest of the bachelorettes in the far corner in the private booth. She looks the total opposite of what Nico told me. She looks happy.
She’s drunk, idiot.
I’m about to tell Louis we’re going to leave when he looks up at me. “Um, Striker.” Following his eyeline, I see a guy walking up to the girls, Daria in particular. He starts dancing and thrusting his dick in her face. What infuriates me more than anything is Daria absolutely lapping it all up, her hand going to his pants. That’s all I can take and red hot rage takes over me. Before I know it, I’m punching this guy to the ground.
“What the fuck?”
Chapter Forty
Daria
“Where the hell is it?” I mutter to myself, tearing my closet apart.
“Hey.” Nico walks in. “Did a clothes store throw up in here?”
“If you have just come to criticize the mess of my closet then get out,” I snap at him, still rummaging through another box.
“Actually, I was coming to tell you to go out and let your hair down tonight.”
Looking round, I throw him an apologetic look, “Sorry, it’s just I can’t find my favorite necklace.”
“Well, what does it look like? Maybe I can help.” He looks around at the mess I’ve made and mutters under his breath. “Somehow.” I throw what I thought was a pair of socks; turns out it was a pair of panties. “Eww, really.” He looks like he’s about to barf, pinching the smallest corner of material with his pointer finger and thumb throwing them to the side like they’re trash.
“It’s a white gold star necklace with a rose colored stone in the center. I got it for my sixteenth birthday,” I mutter, looking in all my boxes of jewelry. “I never take it off. Except when I’m working out at the…” I stop before I say it.
Three Strikes (Demons Disciples MC Book 1) Page 27
