by R. A. Smyth
They have a clear view of the front door of the café, but are far enough away not to draw attention and, I have to admit, if I didn’t know they were following me, I'd think they were just two guys chatting on a bench.
They are once again attempting to fit in, wearing designer clothes covering their dark ink, holding hot drinks and leaning back against the bench, chatting casually to one another as though they don’t have a care in the world.
Nevertheless, I'm sick to death of them following me. I’m tired of seeing their admittedly handsome faces everywhere I go, at the school gates, any time I come into town, hell, they even showed up at the grocery store in the middle of the night when I ran out for tampons and fudge brownie ice cream.
Now, I'm done! I had no idea how paranoid it made you to know someone was watching your every move, but it’s draining. They have officially pissed me off. I can't even come and get a coffee in peace, a much-needed break from reality after yet another week of hell.
Without having put much thought into what I'm doing, I turn left outside of the coffee shop, towards the edge of town, where, if I remember correctly from my trail map, there is a secluded forest path. I’m counting on no-one else being on the trail this late in the afternoon.
I really haven’t had a chance to work out what to do. I know my anger is driving my actions right now, but I can’t seem to let in any rational thought. I’m sick of being on the defensive, of letting all the men in this town threaten, harass and stalk me. I need to turn the tables, gain back some control.
The crowd thins out as we leave the Saturday shoppers behind and approach the edge of the forest. I pass a sign stating ‘Mission Creek Trail’, the trail I’m looking for, up ahead.
Damn right I’m on a fucking mission
Heading onto the trail, I soon realise this particular path consists of a narrow dirt track which twists and turns through the forest, shrouded in trees that overhang, practically blocking out the sunlight. I suddenly feel very far away from the town, and anyone who would hear my screams if either of these two men decided to hurt me. Maybe this wasn’t such a smart idea.
Too late to back out now, I pull up my big-girl panties – remember you are fierce as fuck. A fighter. No one messes with you and gets away unscathed – and continue to walk further along the trail. As I make my way around another twist in the path, momentarily losing sight of Aiden and Tyler, I spot an area with particularly thick shrubs and trees that could easily conceal me from the pair of stalkers.
I quickly duck behind the overgrowth, ensuring all of me is out of sight and wait for them to come round the corner.
I am fully aware of how juvenile it is to hide and jump out on them. However, I’m hoping it will catch them off guard, and make it difficult for them to justify their way out of. It would be an unlikely scenario that they just so happened to be walking down the same deserted path, right behind me no less,
As they round the corner and don’t immediately have eyes on me, I hear Aiden giving off. “What the fuck, where did she go?”
“Man, she must just be up ahead of us, chill out. She probably just needed to clear her head, or a moment alone or some shit. I dunno, whatever girls do to maintain their sanity.”
Aiden mumbles something under his breath that I don’t catch as they stalk closer to where I’m hiding. All I manage to hear is something about ‘sex to de-stress’. Whatever it is he says, Tyler laughs and nods in agreement.
As they walk my way, I can’t help but admire them both. I haven’t had much of a chance to just sit and observe them without worrying about getting caught, at least not since I accidentally ran into Tyler the other week; but now that I have the opportunity…damn they are some drool-worthy, smoking hot men.
Both of them are tall, well over six feet, and the way they move gives them this sense of danger that makes people sit up and take notice; or dive out of the way before they get beaten up. They are both well built, with Tyler having a leaner frame than Aiden, but you know without even having to look that they are all muscle; beautiful, toned, lickable muscle.
Before I can get carried away in a completely inappropriate fantasy to have in the middle of the day, in a public place, I steal my spine and step out from my hiding spot. Hearing the rustle of leaves and the squishing of grass beneath my boots, both boys turn to look in my direction.
Where I was expecting looks of surprise, I’m instead met with a stony-faced glare from Aiden and a small laugh and smirk from Tyler. Not quite what I was aiming for.
“Well well, if the prey doesn’t become the hunter,” Tyler muses.
“You mean the hunter has become the hunted.”
“Ha, no need to worry about us, we will never become the hunted,” Tyler states with all the confidence in the world.
Not only does he believe what he’s saying, but I believe what he’s saying. These boys are too smart, too cunning to miss a threat coming up on them. Nor would they be caught running away from a predator. No, they would face them straight on and fight to the death. I can see that fight, that determination in the way they stand, in the power emanating from within them. And I think I may have seriously underestimated them.
“So, what’s your plan now, love?” Tyler asks, still with that incessant smirk in place, not taking any of this, not taking me, seriously.
Meanwhile, Aiden just stands there, posture tense, glare in place, and scowl still aimed in my direction, silently assessing the scene in front of him. I swear, I can see him mentally calculating every outcome this situation will have, weighing up the pros and cons before he makes a decision as to how to respond. It’s exhausting just to watch.
“You’ve been following me,” I state bluntly.
Ok, I probably could have thought of something more badass to say. It’s obvious at this point. Even they know they are caught in the act; but hey, I hadn’t exactly thought this plan through. I’m totally winging it as I go. “Why?”
After a tense moment of silence where I stare down Aiden with as much determination and defiance as I can portray, he finally says, “If you know you’re being followed, my guess is you know who has us following you, and why they do”.
Crap. I can’t let them know I know they are following my father’s orders. If they knew that, and told him, it would cause all sorts of problems. Before I have the chance to say anything else, Aiden starts talking again as both boys slowly stalk towards me, turning the tables as they circle around, penning me in and ensuring I don’t run.
“So, what was this whole thing really about, eh? You just sick of observing us from afar, just as we’ve been watching you? You wanted to feel that thrill, that rush of adrenaline that comes from confronting someone bigger and scarier than yourself?” he ponders with a smirk.
“No,” I state firmly, not letting on how much they are getting to me. My heart is racing and I am on high alert right now, aware of their every move.
“I just want you both to leave me alone. I’m not doing anything, I’m not up to anything. I sure as hell don’t need to be stalked every time I go to get coffee or have a craving for ice cream in the middle of the night!” I scold, the volume of my voice rising as my temper flares at the lack of privacy I’ve had to endure over the last month.
“Or is that your kink? Need to stalk your girls before fucking them. I’m telling you now, if you need a girl good and scared of you before you can get it up, you’re barking up the wrong tree. I’m not scared of you. I’m not going to cower and whimper and beg you to leave me alone. So, if that’s what you’re into, you should stalk someone else.” I declare boldly, raising my chin in defiance and pushing my shoulder’s back so I stand to my full height, looking brazen.
My little speech is followed by a moment of complete silence, and while I may be acting like I’m tough shit, my nerves are a wreck.
I suddenly notice how close both boys have gotten to me. Sneaky bastards. If one of them reached out their arm, the tips of their fingers would skim against my skin. Just t
he thought of their body against my own makes me shiver in anticipation.
The two of them are standing either side of me, Aiden on my left, Tyler on my right, effectively blocking my path back to town. Not that I have any intention of running from either of them. My heart may be beating a mile a minute, but I’m not about to let either of these men think they have gotten to me.
Next thing I know, Tyler bursts out laughing, bending over in a fit of hysterics. Meanwhile, Aiden just continues to stare at me. I stare right back, not cowering to him, showing him that I’m stronger than he knows. I’m not someone he can terrify and manipulate and walk all over. Guys like him are probably used to weak, compliant girls who will happily do whatever they say without question, but that’s not me. People have been trying to trod on me my whole life, yet I’m still standing, still fighting. I’m not about to let these asswipes get the better of me.
In the time it takes to blink Aiden has his hand wrapped around my throat and has pushed me back into Tyler’s body. His grip is firm but not too tight. I can still breathe without any difficulty. No, he didn’t make this move with the aim of hurting me. He’s doing it just to hold me in place, to show me who has the control, the power in this situation.
He smirks down at me while his thumb strokes lightly over the pulse at the base of my neck. My breaths heave out of me in pants, making me feel lightheaded, and my knees are barely holding me up. In fact, if Tyler wasn’t pressed against my back, I’m certain I’d be a heap on the ground.
“Your pulse says otherwise.” He continues to stare into my eyes, searching until he finds whatever he’s looking for. “Or maybe you’re not scared. Maybe your pulse is racing because you’re turned on,” he muses, continuing to stare at me, trying to work me out; understand me.
Damn that asshole if he isn’t right.
The feel of his hand on my neck, my body molded to Tyler’s rock-hard chest behind me as he squeezes my hips, hard. Combined with the adrenaline of the situation, my panties are definitely damp; and he damn well knows it. Cocky little shit.
Tyler’s hands tighten further on my hips as I shift in his hold, causing my ass to press against his growing erection. Despite my bravado, I feel a blush spreading across my cheeks. I’m currently the filling in a hot guy sandwich, not a position I ever thought I would be in, so who can blame me?
I can feel Tyler’s warm breath on my skin as he dips his head, running his nose up the column of my neck, and occasionally dipping his tongue out to taste my skin. Everywhere his tongue touches causes goosebumps to pebble and succeeds in turning me into a puddle of mush in these men’s hands.
Staring into Aiden’s eyes I can see that despite his harsh words and cold attitude, he’s turned on by this too. His gaze flicks down to my lips when I inadvertently lick them, and I see his pupils dilate, the lust burning bright in his eyes.
He leans in towards me and, for a second, I think he’s going to kiss me. I want him to kiss me.
He blinks, and, when he opens his eyes again, the lust is gone. Shoved deep down inside him, and, instead, I’m left looking into his emotionless, calculating eyes, as though he never felt anything other than dead inside. In the space of a moment, he fixed his mask back in place, the one that portrays him as nothing more than the emotionless soldier he pretends to be.
“Now,” he drawls, in a quiet, dark, threatening tone that sends an exhilarating spark through my body. “Why don’t we pretend this little chat never happened; that way I don’t have to tell daddy dearest you’re asking questions about him.”
This is the Aiden The Feral Beasts know, the Aiden that stabbed that traitor in my father’s house the other week and that threatens enemies on behalf of his gang.
Yet, it’s not all that he is. I’ve seen a more human side to him today, a side I don’t think very many people know about.
He gives me a smug smirk as a glint that I can’t decipher appears in his eye. “Don’t worry, Sophie. I don’t mind that tonight, when you’re all alone in bed, worked up, frustrated, and completely soaked, and your hand moves down your body, you’ll be thinking of us. I don’t mind that you’ll find your pussy wet and after you spread those juices on your aching nub, finding that perfect friction, you’ll scream our names as your world explodes. I absolutely don’t mind that it will be this memory that gives you the most satisfying self orgasm you’ve ever experienced.”
With that bomb dropped he releases me and stalks away. Tyler gives my hips a final squeeze, dropping a final chaste kiss on my neck before letting me go and stepping away, leaving me feeling cold and bereft.
He gives me a sly smile as he walks past me to catch up with Aiden, throwing one last flirty wink over his shoulder before they turn down the path and out of sight, leaving me staring after them wondering what the fuck just happened.
I stand there, frozen in place, trying to gather my wits and calm my racing heart. The sun is low in the sky by the time my legs feel as though they can securely carry me back towards town. My mind is a mess, my hormones are going haywire and I don’t even remember why I led them into the forest to begin with.
Once I’m back at the start of the path, at the edge of the town, I call Oliver to pick me up. While I wait for him to arrive, I mull over my encounter. I didn’t get any answers to the questions I have, or find out any more about what Robert is up to, and yet I have this weird feeling that something significant just happened. I’m just not sure whether it will be for better or worse.
Chapter 18
AIDEN
Icouldn’t help but be surprised when Sophie stepped out of the bushes, full of fire and ready to take us on. Not that I let her see my reaction.
My father has done an excellent job of ensuring I don’t let anyone see past my mask, to the emotions I feel underneath. I’m pretty sure my father doesn’t think I have any emotions. He spent my entire childhood using every method of torture - physical and psychological – to rid me of any pesky emotions so he could turn me into the perfect soldier. He wanted an empty vessel who would do anything asked without question or concern.
So, I learned at a young age to wear an impenetrable shield that hides my thoughts and emotions from the outside world. Ty is the only one who has seen behind my smokescreen; he knows the real me.
Ty has experienced some of the same sufferings as I have, although his father was never as brutal on him as mine was on me. His trauma left a different mark on him. Where I learned to shove all my thoughts, opinions, feelings deep down inside and wear a false front of disinterest, Ty developed a carefree attitude, like everything just washes off of him. Still, it’s a mask, just a different kind to the one I wear. Everyone might think he's the easy-going, funny guy, but I can see the darkness lurking behind his eyes, the damage done to him runs just as deeply as my own. He can be just as ruthless as I am. After all, we are members of The Feral Beasts; violence is in our blood.
When the boss first told us he had a scheme in place here in Crescentwood, I didn’t expect him to choose Ty or I to join him. Being the most junior members of The Feral Beasts, we are generally assigned to the shitty jobs, the clean-up, hush-up, disposal jobs. If a body needs disposing of without a trace, a person needs to be threatened back in line, or someone needs intimidating into doing as they’re told, we’re the guys that get called to handle it.
Given our normal jobs, when we were brought to this fancy town filled with rich assholes and told to follow his daughter, who none of us even knew about, it piqued my curiosity.
This job is different from any others the club has done before. Not only is it in a bigger league, but it’s different to our usual ‘fear factor’ approach. There is usually a lot more blood and dead bodies. Not that I’m complaining. I might have grown up in the club, but I don’t have the same desire for blood and violence that seems to drive everyone else around me.
This job might be less messy than our normal ones, but it’s getting to me in a way no job ever has before. SHE is getting to me. Until she cornered
us in the forest, Sophie had just been a job. She didn’t do anything fun or exciting, not like what I imagine a normal teenager would do. She didn’t go to parties, she didn’t even hang out with any friends. If she wasn’t at school or home, then she would wander around town and explore the area, or sit in the coffee shop, people watching or reading a book.
I can’t deny her actions didn’t pique my interest. Who is this girl who doesn’t act like a normal teenager? Most people who start a new school would do anything to fit in, to ensure they don’t stand out, but Sophie doesn’t seem to care. She has no interest in trying to fit in, to be like everyone else in this town of silicone-filled women and arrogant egotistical men. Where was she before her father decided to include her in his schemes? What has she gone through that she doesn’t care about fitting in or making friends?
Despite being mildly curious about the girl and what plans Bossman has for her, I had no other interest, beyond keeping an eye on her.
I already knew she wasn’t doing as her father told her to. Not only was she not making friends with the one-percenters, but she made a point of actively avoiding them.
Ty, the dick-thinking idiot that he is, covered her ass by lying to her father about who she spends her time with. I had no option but to go along with what he said. There was absolutely no other reason as to why I helped protect her. It definitely had nothing to do with my increasing fascination with her.
However, now I’m even more intrigued. There is a hell of a lot more to Sophie Montgomery than meets the eye, and now she has my full attention.
She was obviously paying more consideration than I gave her credit, for as she knew we were following her. Not only that, but she knows who we are, who we work for, but she’s clearly just as in the dark as we are about Kirk’s plans here.
Staring at her, glaring at us with her hands on her hips, thinking she was formidable, I had to fight my smirk. I don’t know why she thought it would be a good idea to corner two Beasts in an isolated location. Silly girl.
