by R. E. Bond
I didn't mean to hurt Rory like that.
The moment I saw her nose bleeding, I knew I’d fucked up.
I'd do anything I could to keep her away from the crew, but I'd never seriously hurt her on purpose.
There was no way in hell that she was joining the Psychos.
How we could even date was fucking beyond me.
We clashed at every turn, driving each other insane until one, or both of us, snapped.
It was a fucked-up cycle, one that we needed to stop before one of us ended up dead.
I was starting to think it might even be me.
She was becoming psychotic, and I’d be damned if that didn’t turn me the fuck on.
Not many girls let me make them bleed, but Rory fucking craved it.
The hurt, the pain, and the rush of danger that only I could give her.
She seemed to think she deserved to hurt for some fucked up reason.
I let her go last time so that this didn’t happen, but look at us now.
She could bend and break me whenever she wanted, and she fucking knew it.
I had to put my foot down, but it was hard to do when the guys were all of a sudden keen to pull her in.
I didn’t want her going on drug runs or dropping off loads of cash after a busy week, let alone get fucking shot at.
Some days I wish I could just kill her and bring her back, just to prove to her what I was capable of.
She sure as shit wasn’t the snarky nervous bitch that she’d been when I’d first met her.
Aurora was a ruthless killer, and I had no one to blame but myself.
I tainted her with my blackened soul when I’d drawn her close, and now we’d both turned on each other as if we were enemies.
I couldn’t keep up with the bullshit.
I had to keep her away, before someone really got hurt.
Rory
“What the fuck happened to you?” Tyler demanded, narrowing his eyes as he walked into the shed to find me still sitting on the chair by the sink, bloodied cloths around me as I took a drag of my cigarette.
Fuck my nose was throbbing.
“Go home, I’m not in the fucking mood.”
“No, what happened? Is that blood yours? What the hell happened to your nose?” He asked, anger and worry lacing his voice.
I glanced at the cloths scattered on the ground before looking back at him blankly.
“Yeah, it’s my blood. My nose is fine, too.”
“Damnit, Rory…,” he bit out, and I figured I’d just tell him what happened to shut him up.
“Skeet and I broke up.”
“That doesn’t explain shit,” he replied, and I had to ignore the sharp pain that shot down my back as I shrugged.
“We had a fight in the process.”
His eyes narrowed almost on cue.
“What the fuck did he do to you? Did he hit you? Is that what happened to your nose?”
“He didn’t hit me. It doesn’t matter, he can join forces with Lukas and make a new fucking harem,” I snorted as I climbed off the chair and moved behind the bar to help myself to a beer.
“What does this shit have to do with Lukas? Jesus Christ, sit down,” he growled, but Slash walked over and stood in front of him, blocking him from crowding me.
“Hey, calm down. I patched her up, she’s fine.”
“How come whenever something happens to her, you’re not far away? What did Skeet do to her?” He asked as he lost his patience, but I raised an eyebrow.
“Slash wasn’t there. Like I said, Skeet and I had a fight and broke up. If you want to say anything nasty, say it now. Two down in one night already, may as well make it fucking three.”
That made him pause, confusion taking over his entire face.
“Huh? What…”
“Skeet and Lukas got the boot. Congrats, you and Caden are the last two standing. Jense is on probation for siding with Lukas,” I replied flatly, downing my beer like it was water.
Where was the whisky?
“The fuck happened? You and Lukas…,” Tyler continued, but I slammed my beer down on the table, shattering it instantly.
I ignored the curse from Slash, knowing I’d cut my hand, but I didn’t care.
“No one calls me a fucking whore or tells me what to do again, or being dumped is the least of your problems. I’m not playing games, Ty.”
Diesel wandered over with a cloth, snatching my hand up to wrap it with a frown on his face, a lit joint between his lips.
“Jesus, Donovan. Calm down and smoke this.”
I narrowed my eyes as he offered the joint to me, taking it before letting him tend to my hand as I turned back to Tyler who was staring at Diesel in silence.
He didn’t like him either?
Excellent.
His phone rang and he turned around, barking out a response to what sounded like Caden.
Just what I fucking needed.
Diesel gave me a glance as he finished with my hand, his voice gentle.
“Don’t want to talk about it?”
“No,” I mumbled, giving him what was left of his joint before standing and taking the fresh beer he offered.
He waved his keys in my face, making me frown with confusion.
“What?”
“Take my truck. I’ll get Slash to drop me around later to pick it up. It’s obvious you want to get out of here,” he smiled kindly, seeming relieved when I took them.
I thanked him before saying goodbye to Slash, then I headed out to Diesel’s pickup.
Tyler wandered out, gently pulling me against him and kissing my forehead.
At least he’d calmed down.
The others should take a page from his fucking book.
“I love you. Are you heading home?”
Fuck, he always knew how to melt me.
I actually felt bad for being a bitch to him.
“I love you too. Yeah, for a while. I might head to my old place though. I need a night to myself,” I sighed, moving back to turn towards the pickup, but he spoke again, grinding my fucking gears.
“Caden wants you home tonight, babe. He wants us to talk about shit.”
“Well he’s shit out of luck. I’ve done enough talking for one day, and I’m honestly tired of fighting people, Ty.”
“Stop fighting us then,” he said calmly, making me snort as I climbed into the driver’s seat and slammed the door.
I put the window down and gave him a stern look.
“Don’t you start on me too. You and Caden just sit the fuck back and leave it, okay? Can you do that for me?”
“Probably not,” he muttered.
At least he was honest.
I gave him a sad smile, my heart going tight.
“We used to be the life of the party, Ty. Now look at us.”
He went to speak but I floored it backwards, turning sharply onto the road before skidding off.
I drove straight for my old place, parking the car around the back before unlocking the house and going inside.
The house was basically still empty, so I sat on the bench, grabbing my whisky bottle from the cupboard and downing a healthy amount as I leaned back against the wall, sighing into the silence.
I was halfway through the bottle when Jensen showed up, gently taking my face in his hands and peering into my soul, his pretty blue eyes filled with pain that reflected mine.
His voice was like silk over my skin, softening me completely.
“Come home with me?”
“Just you?” I whispered, watching him nod.
“Just me, baby. C’mon, I’ve got you.”
He helped me down from the bench and put my bottle away, before leading me outside into the cool air.
Slash and Diesel stood by Slash’s Mustang, so I handed the keys over to Diesel without questioning him, then climbed into Jensen’s Camaro to wait for him to finish talking to the them.
He gave me the quiet time I wanted as he drove us to his house, but onc
e we got there, he tugged me down onto his lap as he sat on the couch.
“You and Lukas…”
“Nope,” I cut him off sharply, making him frown.
“Nope, what?”
“I won’t talk about him or to him. Don’t waste your breath.”
He looked bothered but nodded, my body relaxing as he lay back, pulling me basically on top of him.
I nuzzled into his neck, letting out a moan as his lips trailed across my shoulder, nipping me gently in the spot he knew turned me on.
“Get naked for me,” he rumbled in my ear, making me grin.
Just what I needed to forget about my fucked-up day.
I moved my hand between us to grasp him, glancing up as the door opened to find Caden standing in front of me, and he looked pissed off.
I pulled myself away from Jensen but halted on the spot when Tyler and Lukas walked in behind Caden.
“What the fuck is this?” I snorted, wincing as I jerked away when Jensen’s hand rested on my back, the sharp sting pulsing through me.
Tyler cringed. “Careful bro. Slash was patching her back up at the shed today after her and Skeet split.”
“Oh, Aurora got hurt again and she didn’t mention it? Nothing new there,” Caden muttered, smirking at me cruelly when I flipped him the bird in response.
Lukas glanced at me, receiving a glare in return.
He wasn’t welcome at the intervention, or whatever the fuck they were attempting.
“The hell are you doing here? Looks like this is a relationship meeting, so you have no reason to fucking be here.”
He winced at my venomous words, causing Jensen to give me a stern look to defend him.
“Back off. Let’s just talk about this shit, yeah?”
“No, you back off. Did they get you to occupy me until they showed up?” I snapped, guilt crossing his face and giving me the answer.
I glared at Tyler next, pissed off at him the most because I’d actually communicated with him.
“I told you I wanted to be alone tonight and Caden could fucking wait.”
“Yeah well, this is kind of important, and you can’t avoid it. Skeet couldn’t make it and sends his apologies,” Tyler answered, and I completely snapped.
“Fuck Skeet, and fuck you guys! I specifically wanted a night to myself and even told one of you, but you still went out of your way to fuck it up. I’m leaving, fuck this,” I growled, intending on shoving past Caden, but he stopped me and got in my face.
“What the hell has gotten into you? Sit down, for fuck’s sake.”
“No. I wanted a quiet night, maybe some loving from Jense, but…”
“Oh, so Gilbert isn’t in the doghouse, but the rest of us are? That’s not fair, Rory. You know it’s all of us or none of us. You can’t just pick and choose who deserves your time. Ty and I have hardly seen you.”
I moved back from him with a sneer, completely and utterly done with the conversation as rage coursed through me.
“You can all fuck off, I’m done with this shit, Holloway. Now get the fuck out of my way or I will get my blade out.”
He hesitated before moving aside, wariness in his voice as he spoke.
“What do you mean, you’re done?”
I pinned him with a filthy look as I shoved past him.
“It means you can all screw each other from now on. This gang bang shit is fucking over,” then I stormed outside and started walking.
I ignored all of Caden’s calls, as well as Tyler and Jensen’s.
It didn’t take me that long to walk to the Holloway mansion, where I grabbed my things and packed my car.
It was time to move back to my house in the dodgy side of town where I belonged.
Fuck those rich assholes.
Chapter seven
Rory
“Evening, Killer,” Slash chuckled with amusement as I walked into the shed the next day with a sour look on my face.
I acknowledged him with a nod, determination in my eyes.
I’d basically had no sleep, and I was feeling extra fucking stabby by mid-afternoon, so of course I decided the first thing to do as a single woman was stop in and see the king of finding things to stab.
“You got anyone that needs to be beaten to death? Shot? Stabbed? Anyone owe you money? I’ll go retrieve it for you.”
“At this hour of the day? No. Give me a few hours for someone to fuck us over,” he joked, his eyes dropping to my bandaged hand. “How’s the injuries today?”
“They’re fine. Now, find someone for me to kill, I’m not fucking around,” I bit out, snatching a cigarette from his packet off the bar and lighting it up angrily, earning a frown from him.
He jerked his head, motioning for me to join him in the office for some privacy, and since he wasn’t usually in my face about shit, I did as he asked.
Once I plonked myself down on his desk, he sat down in his chair and met my gaze.
“Holloway thinks I checked on you last night after you took off. Tell me what’s going on and I’ll keep covering for you.”
I rolled my eyes as I had a drag, swinging my legs slightly.
“Tell them whatever you want. They aren’t my fucking problem anymore.”
“Thought it was only Lukas and Skeet that you had a fight with?” He asked, the frown on his face deepening.
“A fight? We split up, and the other three copped the same fate last night after ambushing me. Can we not talk about who I’m not fucking, please? You know better than to get all close and personal anyways. You and I don’t do girl talk, it will tarnish your street rep.”
“Just looking out for you, babe. Where are you staying? Need somewhere, or are you happy at your place down the road?” He asked, his frown lifting as he seemed satisfied that I was okay.
I gave him a small smile, appreciating his concern.
“My place is fine.”
He nodded, not appearing too bothered by the sudden change in events, which was a fucking relief to me.
“Alright. Do you need anything, or are you good?”
I watched him cautiously, not understanding why he was so chilled.
I knew he wasn’t the type to go all crazy like the others, but he was seriously relaxed about me just staying at my place alone.
“You aren’t going to drag me back to Holloway’s?”
“I can’t make you be somewhere you don’t want to be. Besides, it’s not like you aren’t safe. You’re closer to the shed for starters,” he shrugged.
When I visibly relaxed, he moved to stand in front of me, placing his hands on the desk either side of me.
“I insist that someone hangs around and keeps an eye out at your place though. Is that okay?”
“Can’t you and Diesel just check in all the time? Not like you aren’t always creeping around like a stalker anyways,” I grumbled, a low chuckle coming from him.
“Yeah, I guess. Diesel can probably park his ass outside your house if you want him to? He wouldn’t mind.”
“I’m good, seriously. I don’t need twenty-four seven surveillance,” I waved him off and had another drag of my cigarette, blowing it in his face to annoy him.
I flinched slightly as he lifted his hand to touch my face, causing him to hesitate before dropping it again and moving back a step to give me space.
“Let me know if you need anything, okay? You know I’ll help you.”
I relaxed again, giving him a nod before surprising him as I shuffled closer to the edge of the desk and put my arms around him for a hug.
He was still for a second, before nudging my legs apart so that they were either side of his waist, stepping against me to hug me tightly.
I closed my eyes, listening to his heartbeat as I pressed my cheek into his chest, just needing a minute to breathe.
I didn’t move when the door cracked open, ignoring the warning growl from Slash as Diesel’s gentle voice reached my ears.
“Hey, Donovan. You okay?”
I moved back
, giving him a small smile before Slash could snap at him.
“Yeah, I’m okay. Just had a shit night sleep and woke up on the wrong side of the bed again.”
“Can I steal you later?” He asked, his voice unsure, but I gave him an encouraging smile, more than happy to spend time with him.
“What for?”
“Was hoping you’d come visit Sasha with me again?” He asked quietly, making me forget all about my own problems.
It felt good to be able to help him with his grief.
“Of course I can, D,” I replied, my expression soft as I went to climb off the desk, but he put a hand up to stop me before I got far.
“Not right now, babe. Catch up with Slash for a while and I’ll come find you after, yeah?”
“Alright. Just let me know when you want to go,” I answered, knowing he didn’t want to bother me.
Not that he was.
“Can do,” he nodded, giving me an appreciative smile before leaving us alone.
Slash had a strange look on his face, making me frown.
“What?”
His hands rested on the desk again as he watched me, speaking quietly so no one else could hear him, despite the door being shut.
“He took you to see Sasha?”
“Yeah two days ago. It was…”
“Her twenty-fourth birthday. Yeah, I know. I’m surprised he took you. Her grave’s basically sacred ground and he doesn’t ever let people go with him. He tell you about her for a particular reason?” He asked curiously, and I shrugged.
I didn’t want to go into too much detail, not with how private Diesel appeared to be.
“We just got talking after he stopped in to tell me that Hunter didn’t cause any problems the other day. We talked about what happened to her, and he asked me to go with him. He told me stories about her and stuff. He’s worried about me getting hurt.”
“Crew’s sure warmed up to you. I like knowing my guys will talk to you like that. Means they see you as family.”
“Diesel told me I am. Now, since I’m single and free to do as I fucking please, got any jobs for me? I need cash since I chopped up the bank card that Josie gave me while in a drunken rage last night.”
He took a step back, scratching his chin thoughtfully.
