Her glares at me and goes to the couch. “Need you to start talking, Nikki.”
I roll my eyes and sit on the chair opposite him. “Well, let’s start with the fact that I think you had my mother killed.”
“What!” he roars. “I never would have done that. I saw the police report just like you did, it was a robbery gone wrong. She was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
“Bullshit, you and that cunt of a wife were sick of my mother flaunting around town, showing me off and causing trouble for you at the clubhouse.”
Happy shakes his head and runs a hand over it. “I cared about your mother more than Crystal. Always have. Hell, I was still fuckin’ your mother up until the day before she was killed.” His words confuse me. Huh, I guess that’s another thing Crystal lied about. She always said my mother was an embarrassment to his club.
“Then the only other person would be Crystal,” I say, leaning back in the chair and crossing my arms.
“Why do you keep saying these awful things about Crystal? Did you not have a great upbringing? She treated you like her own. Susan worshipped you.” I snort.
“Wow, you really never saw or heard anything that went on in that house at all huh. They treated me like garbage. Said I was garbage, bastard of a whore. They would beat me, bully me at school. Constantly told me how much you despised having to bring me to live with you.” Before I can continue on, he stands up, looking shocked and I’m almost worried he’s gonna faint.
“All those times you came home and were banged up, you said it was from sports.”
“No, I said that because they said they already told you and you would laugh, that you didn’t care.”
He’s fighting some sort of battle but before we can continue the door opens and in walks Cruiz, with my daughter. She looks upset, and Cruiz looks angry as fuck. “Go see your mama, baby,” he tells my girl. “Prez, need a chat, right fuckin’ now.” He walks over to me quickly, kisses my temple and says, “good to have you back home, girl.” Cruiz and I grew up together, but he is also the man who broke my heart and his actions were the catalyst I need to run away from here to begin with. His old man, Tango was always fond of my mother, but she was Happy’s whore, I guess.
They walk out into the hallway, and I hear their voices raised. “You okay, Sophia?”
She shrugs. “I hated that lady. She said she was my grandmother, but I told her she wasn’t because my grandmothers are all dead. And she got all pinchy faced and left the room.” She makes the pinchy face look and I try not to laugh. “Then plastic Barbie came in the room. Took one look at me, glared at me, whispered something under her breath, and left. Not sure who she was but seeing me had her upset.” Had to be that bitch, Susan, my foster sister. That’s what she always said she was anyway.
My door opens, and Happy comes back in, anger radiating off him. “Nikki, I’m sorry, I’m so fucking sorry. Until the day I die I’ll make it up to you. I’ll let you be for the night, but I would like to take you both out for dinner later this week.” He kisses me on the cheek and does the same to Sophia. And then leaves.
I fall back on the couch and look around the apartment. My body aches but the painkillers from my trip to the ER are dulling the aches. If only they could cure me of the pain in my heart.
I can’t believe I am back here. Back under my Uncle’s care. Sophia comes over and snuggles into my side. I wince as her weight presses on my ribs. I was lucky. Tricky didn’t hurt me as badly as I thought he had. I thought for sure I would have internal bleeding, but I got off easy.
After everyone leaves, I make a quick sandwich for Sophia. Apparently, I’m well stocked up, and get her to rest in her room with the tv on. I start exploring the apartment a little more when my phone rings and it’s an unknown number.
At first, I think about ignoring it, but then I realize it can’t be Tricky, he’s dead.
“Hello?”
“Sister dearest, how are you?” Susan voice sneers on the line.
“What do you want?” she is the last person besides Crystal I want anything to do with.
“Just wanted to give you a little heads up, rumor is you’ve been fucking my Old Man. Grady is mine, and he’s going to stay mine, especially since I’m carrying his child.” Her words have me frozen. The prospect’s name is Grady, and he’s with my foster sister? I feel dirty, disgusting, I can’t believe this. “You will stay away from him, this is the only warning you’re gonna get.”
She hangs up and I stare at the floor, wishing it could swallow me up. She doesn’t need to threaten me. I get it. Even though Tricky was a dirty bastard, he was still my husband and I cheated on him. But knowing that Prospect, or should I now say Grady, has touched Susan, and they’re having a child together, has me wishing I could peel off my skin and burn it.
Then, the worst thought enters my mind, and makes me feel sick, I am pregnant with his child, I thought for sure I was gonna lose the baby during Tricky’s attack, but I didn’t. At the hospital when I was being examined, there was a heartbeat. I was so relieved. Only now, I wish I had lost the baby.
I stumble to the couch as tears roll down my cheeks. How the hell did my life turn into this?
Chapter 19
Grady
A loud knock bangs against the door so loud I am afraid it is the damn police.
“Open the door,” I hear Happy snarl from the other side. Fuck he’s here to kill me because I haven’t put a ring on Susan’s finger yet. I’m no pussy so I open the door and he shoves past me waving a gun in the air. “Where is the bitch?” I blink confused as fuck.
“Who?”
“That cunt who lives with you. Where’s Susan?”
“She’s in the shower,” I tell him, holding my palms up as he points his gun on me.
“Were you in on it too, huh, cocksucker? I was good to you,” he growls.
“I don’t know what the fuck is happening here. Get your damn gun out of my face and I’ll get your daughter and we can talk about this.”
“Yeah you do that,” he rages kicking the coffee table.
I move quickly down the hall to the bathroom. I don’t bother knocking. Happy is off his Goddamned rocker. “Susan. Your father is here. Needs to see you in the living room.”
“What does that bastard want?” She sneers peering around the curtain.
“Fuck if I know, but dude is acting crazy. I wouldn’t test his patience.”
She rolls her eyes but lets out a snappy, “Fine.”
I hand her a towel that she wraps around her head before putting on her robe.
I walk slowly behind her as she stomps toward the living room where Happy is raging.
“Thought I raised you better than this!” He roars and grabs her around the throat.
I know better than to get between them. I’ll be the one bleeding out if I do. “What did Nikki ever do to you?” At the mention of Nikki my ears perk up.
“What’s that cunt said about me?” Susan croaks.
“She has told me everything. I know what hell you put her through, and it ends now.”
“You won’t hurt me. I’m pregnant.”
Happy looks to me as if asking permission for something. I shrug. Not really giving a shit what he does to her.
“Get the bitch some clothes,” he demands.
“It was all Mother,” she cries looking to me for help, but she won’t find a savior in me. I don’t know what in the fuck is going on. I feel confused as fuck.
“All mother my ass,” Happy snaps at her.
“Either of you gonna tell me what the fuck is going on?”
“It’s family business,” Happy says and I don’t press the issue. Not yet. I need to get to Nikki and talk to her about her being pregnant. If she is still pregnant.
“I would never have hurt Nikki if Mother hadn’t forced me to. She made me do it.”
Happy grimaces. “You could have come to me, but you didn’t. You’re not a kid anymore.”
I run a ha
nd over my head and grab my cut off the back of the chair.
“Where are you going?” Susan, whines.
“Going to see Nikki. Check on her and my unborn child.”
Susan’s face pales. “No!” She whines, grabbing my arm and digging her red nails in my skin. “What about me and our child?”
“What about you? Get the fuck off me, bitch,” I snarl. Happy doesn’t say anything, just glares at me. Shit I’ll have to talk to him later. Susan continues to pull on me until I backhand her ass and she flies over the back of the couch. I don’t look back as I grab my keys. Happy fires off an address at my back and I wave my hand up in thanks leaving him to deal with Susan.
Chapter 20
Susan
I get off the floor, shaking with a mixture of emotions. Anger rips through my veins, at the fact that I knew I should have kept the dirty biker’s kid, it would have been perfect in this exact moment, since Nikki is apparently knocked up by him too. But no, I thought of only myself in that moment and how much I didn’t want the damn thing. Fear pulses through me, at the fact Happy is here, with a gun in his hand, as if he’s ready to use it on me any second. Pain floods me, over the fact that I keep being a punching bag for every damn person in my life.
“We’re gonna have a chat,” Happy announces, as I pull myself up off the floor and quietly walk around the couch to sit.
“First, the only reason you ain’t dead is because I’ve raised you. I don’t have it in me to do that. Nor kill your unborn child.” I swallow roughly at his words, so is he saying that if he knew I wasn’t carrying the child anymore my death would be more likely to happen?
Guilt surges through my heart rapidly nearly stopping it from beating. “I’m sorry,” I whisper, and for the first time in my life I actually mean those words.
“I’ve always known you weren’t mine by blood. I met your mother and her twin sister the day they moved to town, she was already pregnant with you. I didn’t know that though.”
I gasp at this news. “Mother always told me you never knew and were never to find out about me not being yours.” And wait, twin sister? This confuses me. I knew my mother had a sister, but I never knew she was a twin. She never showed me pictures, only of Nikki so I knew who to go after when I was at school. Mother told me things about my Aunt, but I wasn’t allowed around her that I can remember. I was just a kid doing what I was told and believing whatever my Mother said.
“Not sure what kind of mind games that bitch was playing, but it was never a secret, neither was Nikki in our marriage. Your mother tricked me into thinking she was Rhonda one night when I had too much to drink then she told me she was pregnant and that you were mine. I married your mother so she would have help and care for you, plus she would make a great public wife in the eyes of the law. Rhonda wanted it that way, despite the terrible shit your mother pulled back then in tricking me into marriage she loved her sister and wanted her taken care of and the baby—you. I would have done anything for her.” I can see that, she has always had this posh air about her. He scrubs a hand over his face and leans forward, arms resting on his legs. “Your mom might have been legally my wife, but her sister, Rhonda was my Old Lady in every other way. She held my heart and when Nikki was born, I felt all the things I should have felt when you were born.”
“Wait, what? What about Tyler?” I ask him, if mother was only his wife on paper, how did Tyler come to be? He’s his blood born child.
“I was drunk. I only came home because you were asking for me, and since the club was being investigated at the time, I had to make sure ATF saw me with my legal wife making a happy home. I can honestly tell you, I’ve never cheated a day in my life until the moment I got drunk and fucked your mother and made Tyler. It caused a rift in everything I created for my life. Rhonda had forgiven me for fucking your mom that first time but then when Tyler came to be, there was no fixing what I had broken.”
I remember that time actually, that’s when Mother started changing. I thought it was just hormones and finding out Happy had cheated.
“She thought that night meant more than it did, thought I finally saw her and not Rhonda and that our status was changing. She became a cold shell of a person and I was sick of hiding any part of my life. I was getting ready to divorce Crystal and finally make Rhonda not just my old lady but my wife in every way. I was tired of living with all the secrets and lies. I wanted out. I would always take care of you and your brother, but I was done living two lives. Three days later, the woman I loved with every fiber of my being was murdered.” Happy looks choked up, I also feel upset enough to tell him exactly how that happened, but I don’t. Mother might be a little on the nutty side these days, but I don’t want her dead, and I know he would easily do it if he knew she was behind the murder.
Everything now makes sense. The changes in Mother, especially days before Rhonda’s death. Did mother know what he was planning? That’s probably what sent her over the edge.
Happy stands up, gun still in his hand and he stares at me. “You’re not my daughter by blood, Susan, but it didn’t make me love you any less. And hearing all the shit you put Nikki through growing up, makes me wish I had the strength to end your life right here, right now.” I swallow roughly, this doesn’t sound good. “You’re dead to me, I don’t ever want to see you again, you’re to stay out of my clubhouse, out of my life, and if I catch you anywhere near my daughter and granddaughter…you’re gonna beg for death and pray for a mercy you won’t receive from me.”
He takes a shuttering breath. “I know who is responsible for killing Rhonda. The look on your face tells me all I need to know. All that guilt must be hard to carry on your shoulders, Susan. If you were smart, you’d leave town before I change my mind about killing you and if you even think of warning your mother.” He pauses and aims his gun at me. “I will hunt you down like the animal that you are and gut you.”
He storms out of the house, and I can’t move, I feel paralyzed. I thought I would be elated with him out of my life, but now, it’s a reality, and the last bit of a heart I have left just completely shatters. I screwed up. I have nothing. I am nothing. I curl into a fetal position and cry. I should warn Mother but whatever happens she is getting what she had coming. I’m taking my punishment—facing the consequences of my actions and the part I played in it all and so should she.
Chapter 21
Cruiz
I wanted to stay at Nikki’s apartment, but she could barely even look at me. Pain sliced my gut when she wouldn’t even say hi. Her daughter though, chatted nonstop with me once I picked her up from the trashy she-devil. Sophia reminded me so much of Nikki when she was that age. I hated seeing what that bastard Tricky did to Nikki and am only sorry that I wasn’t the one to end his pathetic life.
I’m in my room at the clubhouse when Happy comes charging in looking pissed as shit. “We gotta roll out, need to deal with my bitch of a wife, you’ll need to be my clean up.”
Fuck, I hate clean up.
“Do I need to send a man to the Prospect’s house too?” I ask him, needing to know where to divide the brothers.
“No, left the cunt alive, for now,” he replies, grinding his jaw. “Let’s ride out fast, before she finds out what I know and tries to run. For what she’s done, she’ll wish and beg for death.” When Happy gets like this, it’s best to just let him ramble without any input. Finding out Crystal had Rhonda murdered and what she put Nikki through, I’m surprised Happy even came to me first for cleanup. Would have thought he’d have taken care of it first.
We arrive at his house and go in quiet. Crystal is in the bathtub when we enter the home. At first, she doesn’t even realize we are here. She’s got earbuds in and her head is laid back on the wall with her eyes closed. Happy doesn’t say a word he just walks over and pushes her head down under the water. It splashes out onto the tile floor as she struggles. He lets her up long enough to catch a breath and to tell her he knows what she did.
“You think I wouldn�
�t find out what you and your cunt kid did to my daughter?”
“What?” She cries.
“Wrong answer bitch!” He snarls and punches her in the mouth so hard he broke her front tooth.
She cries and pleads but it all falls on deaf ears. “Happy, please.” Blood drips down her chin. Her bottom lip trembles. I could almost feel bad for the bitch if I didn’t know all the terrible shit she did to Nikki, the woman I love. The woman I am going to make mine again.
“You killed the only woman I ever loved and neglected and tortured Nikki. Now me and Cruiz are gonna do the same to you.” He grabs her up by her saggy tits. Soap bubbles drip down her naked body as blood leaks from her mouth. “I’m going to love bleeding you out slowly. Then I am going to hack you up and toss your pieces in the bottom of a lake. No one will ever find you.”
“Happy, please,” she begs, but it’s falling on deaf ears. “I loved you. All I ever wanted was for you to love me back. What about Tyler. You can’t do this to him!”
“Our son!” He spits in her face. “He fucking hated you. Why do you think he left town? It sure as shit wasn’t because of me. I gave our kid everything he ever wanted. I took care of you. All of you and how did you repay me.!?” He yanks her out of the tub and tosses her to the floor in front of me. “Get her dried off and then tie her to a kitchen chair.” He orders as she tries to crawl away from him.
No begging will keep her alive. Sometimes, Happy will take mercy on women, but not this one. And for once, I don’t feel guilt or shame with what’s to come.
I do as he asks while the rest of the brothers crowd into the house.
Standing back, I lean against the wall, while Happy grabs a chair and sits in front of her. Crystal is crying but she doesn’t fight the rope, almost like she knows her fate.
“Tell me, Cunt, why? Why you did it, how you did it,” Happy demands, slowly rubbing the tip of his knife across her thigh.
You Break Me (The Prospect Series Book 2) Page 6
