by Jessica Ames
“Oh, goodie,” she mutters and I want to wrap my fingers around her pretty neck.
“Now would be a good time to shut your mouth.”
She clamps her lips together for a second before she slurs out, “Has anyone ever told you you’re bossy?”
“Briella.” I let the warning infuse my voice, but she just rolls her eyes.
“So bossy.”
Ignoring her, I hand Kyle the car keys. “You drive.”
I don’t want her in the back on her own in case she gets sick again. Last thing I need is to tell Levi his sister choked on her own puke.
I climb into the back with her while Kyle gets into the driver’s seat. Carefully, I lift her head and rest it on my jean-clad thighs. I should probably make her sit up and put her seatbelt on, but she’s so out of it, I don’t think she could.
Kyle peers in the rear-view mirror, making sure we’re okay before he peels the fuck out of there.
I glance down. She’s curled up against me, clinging to my thigh like I’m her lifeline, her heavy-lidded eyes watching me. My dick stirs against my zip and I will it to calm the fuck down.
When Levi first joined the club and introduced his little sister to me, I knew she was going to be trouble. There’s a darkness in her eyes, one that tells me she’s seen shit she can never unsee. Her demons aren’t as bold as mine, but they’re still there. I have no fucking clue what drove Levi to join the Sons, but at the time he was a twenty-one year old kid raising a seventeen year old, with nothing to his fucking name. They’d been on their own since Brie was fourteen. I always thought he needed the stability the club could bring, but two years on, I wonder if he needed the support to keep his fucking sister in check. She’s a nightmare.
When we get back to the clubhouse Kyle pulls into a space and cuts the engine. I give him a nod of my head, telling him I got this. He gets out of the car and I watch him cross the tarmac towards the clubhouse.
When he disappears inside, I climb out of the car and scoop Brie back into my arms. I should take her to the room Levi uses when he’s here, but I don’t have a key and no way in fuck am I taking her home. What if she chokes on her vomit in the night? I’m going to have to keep an eye on her, which pisses me off. I didn’t sign up to play babysitter to a brat.
I take her to my room and as soon as we’re inside, I kick the door shut behind me. I lay her on the bed and step back. I’ll sleep in the chair at the side of the bed.
“Are you mad?” she questions again, her eyes unfocused as she stares up at me.
I shouldn’t do this with her now, but I’m so fucking pissed, I can’t stop the words from spilling out.
“You went into another gang’s territory, Brie. A gang we ain’t exactly friendly with. Yeah, I’m fucking mad, and your brother is going to be too when he finds out the shit you pulled.” I bend at the waist so I can get into her face as I hiss, “That fucker had his hand in your fucking knickers.”
She struggles to sit up. “Daimon—”
“Don’t fucking Daimon me. Don’t want to hear your excuses. You fucked up big time, and you put me and Kyle at risk having to come and save your fucking arse. You think about that?”
“I just wanted to have fun,” she pouts and fuck me if I don’t want to kiss those plump lips, a perfect Cupid’s bow on the top.
I drag my eyes to hers, ignoring the heat pounding through my body right now. Levi’s sister… she’s Levi’s sister. I also don’t have time for her shit.
“Your fun could have got us fucking killed, Brie.”
I storm into the bathroom, needing a moment to collect myself, needing a moment to push those perfect tits and rounded arse out of my mind.
I splash water on my face and glance at my reflection in the mirror. Shaggy dark hair and pale eyes stare back at me, haunted eyes that have seen too much in their time. Eyes that want to see more of Briella. The thought makes my stomach twist. She’s off limits, and the sooner I remember that the better for us both.
When I head back into the room, she’s passed out on top of the covers where I left her. With a sigh, I move her up the bed and cover her up, then I take a seat in the chair next to the bed.
This bitch might be the fucking death of me.
2
Briella
I wake with a blinding headache and a dry mouth. I prise one eye open, then the other and the room comes into focus. A large bed, a chest of drawers that’s seen better days and an old chair at the side of the bed greet me.
Cold rolls through my belly as I take it all in. I have no idea where the hell I am.
I sit up fast, ignoring the roiling of my belly and the pounding through my skull as my eyes dart around the room. I can’t see anything that tells me where I am.
This isn’t the first time I’ve woken up somewhere random, but it is the first time I don’t remember where I am.
Pulling the covers back, I’m thankful I’m at least still wearing what I was last night. No one undressed me, so I didn’t do anything I shouldn’t have. Relief floods me, and a hint of shame. I have to stop doing this shit. Getting black out drunk keeps the monsters that follow my steps at bay for a time, but the moment I’m sober they’re back again and the past plays on a loop through my mind. Nothing quietens those voices, that trauma, no matter how much I try.
I tear my hands through my hair. I can’t keep waking up places I don’t know. I can’t keep putting myself at risk like this, but part of me doesn’t care what happens to me. Part of me relishes the excitement of not knowing what I’m getting into, and if that doesn’t make me fucked in the head…
I climb out of the bed, ignoring the pickaxes attacking my skull, and stumble over to the window. As I pull the curtain back, my heart starts to pound. I recognise the rows of bikes, the squat buildings and the few brothers milling around the front entrance.
I’m at the Untamed Sons compound.
Shit.
Did I fuck a brother last night? Levi will kill me. His brothers are off limits. His club is off limits.
I rack my brain, trying to remember what happened last night. The last thing I remember is being in Rave, a new club that opened down by the docks. I didn’t want to go, preferring to stay home with a bottle, but Layla, my best friend, dragged me out. Drinking at home, she said, was the epitome of pathetic. She’s a worse influence on my destructive behaviour than I am. I remember Layla left me to go home with some guy she met. The last thing I remember after that was sitting down and talking to some random dude. Everything gets hazy after that.
I push my hair out of my face and peer around the room, wondering whose bedroom this is. It’s not Levi’s. I’ve stayed in his room before, but I don’t recognise the space. I move to the bedside table nearest to me and drag it open. Inside, I find some typed letters from different companies. The name on the top is Jake Reynolds. Who the hell is that? I wish these bikers went by their first names, rather than stupid nicknames.
I put them back and glance around the room. Who the hell did I end up with last night? And how did I end up at the Sons clubhouse?
I move into the small attached bathroom as I try not to freak out. It’s clean, the only thing on the shelf in the shower some body wash and a bottle of shampoo. There’s a razor on the edge of the sink and a bar of soap. That’s it. It doesn’t help to solve the mystery.
As I glimpse myself in the mirror hanging over the basin, I can’t help but groan. I have black rings under my eyes and my lipstick is long gone. My hair, which was curled to perfection when I left the flat last night, is flat and frizzy.
I look terrifying.
Turning the tap on, I let the water run before I wipe my makeup off as best I can. When my face is clean, I step back into the room and locate my heels at the end of the bed. Did someone take them off or did I take them off?
I quickly step into them and fasten the clasp before I find my clutch bag on the chair. Opening it, I’m relieved to find my phone, my purse and my keys for the flat inside. Thank fuck.
I check my phone and see I have a missed call from my brother, but nothing from Layla. I hope she’s okay.
As I move towards the door, it suddenly opens and I squeal in surprise, taking a step back as Daimon moves into the room. He’s a huge guy, built like a tank, with shaggy dark hair that he’ll sometimes wear up in a man bun thing and a jaw that could cut glass. He doesn’t smile much, not that I’ve seen anyway, especially not at me. He’s wearing his kutte on top of a dark grey tee that clings to his thick biceps, showcasing the artwork down both arms and jeans that hug his hips in a way that has my eyes gravitating there.
My mouth dries and not from fear, but from desire. The man makes my pussy throb with need whenever I’m near him. I don’t care that he’s older, and he is a lot older than me. He’s definitely pushing thirty, while I only turned nineteen a few months back. My body reacts to him in ways I don’t understand.
He eyes me, his gaze roaming over my body, which suddenly feels exposed, before he stops on my face.
Oh my God. Did I do something with Daimon? Not that I’d be averse to the idea, but I don’t remember a damned thing. That’s criminal. Even if I had come home with him, I doubt I would have been able to do a damned thing without freaking out. The scars of my past run deep, as much as I try to deny them.
“You going somewhere?” He sounds pissed, which makes my mouth dry for a different reason now. Why the hell is he pissed?
“Did we… shag?” I ask, caution making me uncertain.
His nose crinkles and my heart shatters as he mutters, “Fuck no.”
“Oh.” Shame and humiliation crawls over my skin, dirtying me. He’s not the first man to act like I’m worth nothing. I doubt he’ll be the last.
“Get that look off your fucking face.”
“What look?”
“The kicked fucking puppy look. Ain’t gone there with you ‘cause you’re a brother’s kid sister. Not for any other reason, so get that look off your fucking face.”
I bristle at his tone. “Are you always like this?”
“Like what?”
“Mean.”
He snorts. “Mean? Didn’t realise we were still in high school, darlin’.”
His jab cuts through me. I know I’m young, but I’m not stupid, which is how he’s treating me. “Fuck you, Daimon,” I hiss and move towards the door.
He snags my wrist, stopping me. His touch sears my skin, flames licking around his hand and I raise my eyes to his, wondering if he feels it too. If he does, he keeps it locked behind his stern expression.
“You fucked up last night, Brie.”
A tingle runs through me at him calling me that. I love how it sounds on his tongue, I love how it makes me feel like shivering.
I tip my head back, so I can meet his gaze—a very pissed off gaze. His eyes are drawn tightly together, his brow heavily furrowed. This time, fear licks along my spine.
“I didn’t do anything.”
“You could have got me and Kyle killed last night. Do you even give a fuck?”
His words hit my belly like lead. “What?” I whisper.
“You were in an enemy’s territory.”
“I don’t have any enemies.”
He looks like he’s considering shaking me.
“The club does and like it or not, you’re a part of this fucking club.”
I never suggested I didn’t like it, so why he’s getting shitty with me, I don’t know.
“I didn’t know I was in enemy territory. I don’t keep track of who you’re friends with.”
He steps into my space, his body a scant inch from mine, and my breath catches in my throat as I tip my head back to look at him.
“Start.”
I blink at him. “How am I supposed to know that?”
“Don’t leave the fucking borough in future.”
His tone makes me bristle. I’m not one of his little prospects he can boss around. I don’t have a single thing to do with his stupid club, and I don’t need to be protected. I’ve never needed that, although my brother did his best over the years to shield me from the worst of the things we went through. He didn’t always succeed, though.
“Quit telling me what to do.”
“I’m trying to keep your selfish arse alive. The last thing your brother needs is to fucking bury you.”
His words score through me, a thousand knife wounds into my heart. I swallow bile and blink frantically, trying to stop my tears which are building in my eyes, but I refuse to let them fall.
“No one is going to bury me. I’m not stupid. I don’t take risks, and I’m not fucking selfish either.”
He dips his head closer to me and my heart starts to gallop in my chest. “You were barely conscious last night while some fucking dipshit had his hand in your knickers.”
A vague recollection of that flits across my memory and my cheeks burn that he saw that. He should never have witnessed that. No one should have. Shit, how fucking drunk was I last night?
Even so, I snap at him, “I’m a fucking adult. I can do what I want.”
He steps back, tearing a hand through his hair. “And that’s what you wanted? Some dirty cunt’s hand in your pussy? A dirty cunt I’m guessing you don’t know. Fuck me, Brie, are you that hard up?”
Anger flares through me, fireworks exploding behind my eyes like it’s the fifth of November. How fucking dare he? Who the hell does he think he is? My palm itches with the need to slap him, but I restrain myself. Hitting a man like Daimon is not a good idea.
Instead, I glare at him. “Fuck you, Daimon,” I snarl out before stepping around him.
He grabs my arm, pulling me up short. “Ain’t finished here, sweetheart.”
I roll to my toes and hiss in his face, “Oh, we’re done. Let go of me.”
He stares into my face, his eyes crawling over mine then he releases me with a growl.
“I hear you’re anywhere you shouldn’t be again, we’ll be having words.”
I glare at him and then move around him to the door. This time, he doesn’t stop me when I step outside the room.
As soon as the door closes behind me, I sink against the wall and try to catch my breath, wondering what the hell that was all about.
3
Daimon
Levi and Fury get back from their run the next evening, full of news from the Sons’ Manchester chapter. Howler, their president, has been solidifying his power there, pushing out some of the smaller gangs in the area, but it could come to a head. Rav will back them if they need it, but for now they seem to be in control. They may be from a different chapter, but they’re our brothers all the same. We’ll bleed for them, just as they did for us against Blackwood.
I give Levi an hour to get settled and get a couple of pints in him before I tell him what went down with his sister. I hate doing it, ruining his good mood, but too many people know what happened for me to keep it a secret. It was on the tip of my tongue to lie to him, but our lifestyle runs on trust, and there’s no fucking way I’m breaking that bond for some bratty kid, and that’s exactly what Briella is. She’s a bratty fucking kid. I don’t care that she’s nineteen. She’s a fuck ton younger than me and that’s all I see, so my need to protect her, even from her brother, takes me by surprise. I’ve never felt protective of a woman in my life.
Levi huffs out a breath and his eyes narrow as I explain what happened. I leave out the fact that Briella stayed in my room. Why? I don’t know. It’s not like I did anything with her, but I’m not sure her brother would be happy knowing she was in my space. If I am being honest, I would admit that I liked having her there. I also liked that she left her scent on my sheets, her perfume lingering in the air. Doesn’t that make me a fucking creep?
I also don’t tell him about the wanker with his hand up Brie’s skirt. Kyle and I took care of that fucker this morning. I hope the guy knows a good dentist. He’s going to need one after I knocked a few of his teeth out. He’s lucky he’s still breathing after th
e shit I witnessed.
“I’m fucking sorry you had to deal with that,” Levi mutters as he rolls his glass between his hands, his eyes on the bar.
He’s young, only twenty-three, and he rose up the ranks to secretary faster than he probably should have, considering how short a time he’s been with the club. Despite his age, it’s clear he’s got a good head on his shoulders. From what I know, he practically raised Brie from the time she was fourteen, which is probably why he’s so fucking level-headed. He had to parent a child as wild as Brie. He had his work cut out for him. Rav and Sin—before he was killed at the club’s hands—saw the talent the kid has and latched onto it straight away. He’s a hell of an asset to the club.
“Thanks,” Levi continues, “for keeping her safe.”
“Anytime, brother.” I clamp a hand on his shoulder and squeeze, offering him my reassurance before I wrap both hands around my pint glass.
The common room is dead tonight, just a few club bunnies lingering around and Titch, who is sitting watching a football game on the wide screen TV with Whizz. It’s a change from the usual bustling noise and I wonder where the rest of my brothers are. Since Rav and Nox both settled down, things have been quieter at the clubhouse. I have to admit, I don’t miss the old days where it was chaos and mayhem all night long. I like the fucking peace. I sound like an old man, but I feel every one of my thirty-one years tonight. Especially sitting next to Levi.
“She seem okay?” he asks.
My brows draw together at his question. “How do you mean?”
Levi sighs, raking his fingers through his hair. “Ain’t sure what the hell is going on with her lately. She’s acting out more than usual, being reckless. I don’t know what the hell changed, but something sure as fuck has in the past few months. Never seen her like this. Even after—”
He breaks off, taking a steadying breath and I want to ask even after what, but I don’t want to push the brother either. I’m not supposed to be interested in his sister, even though I am.
