by J. M. Walker
Tears streamed down my cheeks, rolling off my chin as I broke. My soul shattered, breaking into pieces as everything that had happened over the past couple of weeks came tumbling down around me.
“I’m sorry. For everything. For what I’ve put you through. For what Devin put you through. I love you so damn much.” He brushed his nose up the side of my neck. “I do. God, Keely.”
“Let me go. Please.” I squirmed against him.
“Not until you tell me that you’re okay.”
“I’m fine.” I attempted to push out of his hold but his strength won out.
“You’re not fine. Please, Keely. I can’t fight with you. Talk to me.”
I roughly wiped the tears from under my eyes and crumbled against him.
He held me as we fell to our knees.
“I miss you. I miss us. I want things to be normal. I want to see Troy.” A sob escaped me. “I want to go out and not be scared that Devin will find me. I just…I want him out of my life. I want…” I hiccupped.
Parker held me against him, whispering softly in my ear. He didn’t tell me that it would be okay. He didn’t tell me that everything would be normal. But he did tell me that he loved me over and over again. “Right now,” he cupped my cheeks, wiping the tears from under my eyes. “All I can give you is my love. I don’t know how this shit is going to play out. I can’t tell you that everything will be fine and normal again because I don’t know that. I won’t lie to you.”
I nodded, sniffing past a new onslaught of tears.
“Once this meeting is over, let me make you fly again, pet,” he whispered in my ear. “Let me bring you to your safe place.”
Wrapping my arms around him, I leaned my head against his chest. “I—”
“Keely?”
My head snapped up, my gaze landing on my best friend. “Troy? What are you doing here?”
He looked between Parker and I, his eyes finally settling on mine. Questions were clear on his face at seeing Parker, who he thought was no longer alive, here in the flesh.
“I asked Jones to pick him up.” Parker kissed my forehead and rose to his feet, pulling me up with him.
“What’s going on? You’re supposed to be dead. Keely, what the hell?” Troy threw question after question at me, his eyes dark with accusation.
“I can explain.” I took a step towards him but he backed up.
Troy ran a hand through his short hair. “Jones said it was an emergency.”
At that moment, Patrick came up behind him and placed their bags on the floor. “Baby, you and Keely should talk.”
“I don’t want to talk. I need to cook,” Troy mumbled.
My heart sunk, a hard lump forming in my throat. He was pissed and he had every right to be but I just prayed that I didn’t just lose my best friend. Every time Troy got upset, he cooked and there was no way to stop him. That’s why he was so good at what he did.
“Angel,” Parker said softly in my ear. “You need to talk to him.”
I shook my head. “Not right now. I’ll give him some time.”
He sighed but nodded in agreement.
“Is the war zone safe to enter now?” Greyson asked, standing at the patio entrance.
“Yeah, it’s all good. Tell the club to sit at the table and we can proceed with the meeting,” Parker instructed. He gave me a soft peck on the lips and headed to the large wooden dining room table, giving me a moment alone with Troy.
“I am so sorry. I know you’re pissed. Shocked. But I had to do what I did to protect Parker,” I said softly.
Troy filled a large pot with water and let out a heavy sigh.
Patrick stood beside him, cutting up vegetables and glanced at me. His eyes were sad. He whispered something to Troy.
“It hurts me that you couldn’t trust me enough to tell me.” Troy looked down at me. “You know that I would have kept that Parker is alive to myself.”
“I know. But there was no way that I could tell you. I was under strict orders not to say anything. It wasn’t just by him but by Colin too.” I grabbed his hand. “Please believe me. I never meant to hurt you.”
“I buried him with you. I watched you break. I held you while you cried against me. Were those tears lies too?”
“No. They weren’t,” I reassured him. “I promise you they were real.”
“Then why were you crying?” he threw back at me.
“Because I was upset that I had to keep things from you. That Parker had to go into hiding and that I couldn’t see him in God knows how long. That I married a fucking monster,” I cried, not caring in the least who heard me. It felt so good to get things off of my chest, I couldn’t help but continue. “I was crying because you did more for me than I ever deserved and I’ve treated you like shit.”
“I told you not to marry him.” Troy turned to me completely, shutting off the water and glared down at me. “I warned you. But did you listen to me? No. You never listen. I warned you about Parker and look what’s happened.”
“Parker is not like Devin. He loves me.”
“Devin loved you too,” Troy shouted.
“Troy, maybe we should get some air.” Patrick grabbed his hand.
“No.” Troy shoved out of his grip. “It’s about time we had this conversation.”
I could feel all eyes on us and although my vision blurred, I couldn’t help but keep my gaze locked with Troy’s.
“Tell me,” he demanded. “Why when I warned you about Parker, did you not listen to me?”
I looked away, meeting Parker’s heated stare. “Because I was following my heart.” Devin may have broken my spirit, but Parker made me whole. He made me feel alive. I never believed in love at first sight but with him, there was definitely an instant attraction. Maybe I did fall in love with him right away. I would never know. But I wouldn’t let anyone question my feelings for him.
Everything with Devin was selfish on his end. What I had with him was nothing compared to what I have now with Parker.
“Your heart’s been wrong before,” Troy said finally.
I looked back at him, his blue eyes swirling with anger. “I love you, Troy. You are my best friend. I’ve cried myself to sleep for weeks because I couldn’t talk to you about this but I refuse to explain my feelings for Parker to anyone. And that includes you.” I walked away, leaving him to stew in his own misery. I understood that he was upset. I got that. I would be too if the roles were reversed but how dare he? I loved Parker. Troy had no right to second-guess that. I had enough shit with Parker to worry about first.
“You alright?” Parker asked, pinching my chin to meet his soft lips.
“I’m fine,” I grumbled and sat in the chair at the head of the table.
“Life’s biggest lie,” he whispered in my ear. “I’ll deal with your mistake later.” His hot breath caressed the side of my neck sending a shiver racing down my spine.
“It’s weird not sitting at our table.” Greyson laughed. “I should have brought my gavel for you, Keely.”
“Oh right. You can sit here,” I offered, making a move to stand.
“Sit. This meeting is all yours.” Parker pulled up a chair beside me, keeping my fingers linked in his.
“My meeting?” My eyes widened. “What? Why?”
He winked and turned to the group of guys spread around the large cherry oak table. “Before Keely starts, I just want you to know that there is enough room here for all of you to sleep. Thanks to Colin and Jones.”
The men grunted in response, stating their appreciation to Colin and Jones who stood behind Parker and I.
“I’m gonna rent a motel,” one of the bikers, known as Rip, said. “I need to find me some pussy.”
“Watch your mouth. There’s a lady in the house.” A younger man with a snake tattoo coiling up the side of his neck said, slapping him across the back of the head.
“What’s your name?” I asked snake tattoo guy. He must have been new because I didn’t recognize him.
“Snake.” His dark eyes met mine.
Of course it was. Duh. I made a point of glancing at each of the men sitting before me. All different ages and sizes. But each and every one of them had something in common. They were downright scary. The power that oozed from their pores was frightening.
“Do you know who I am?” I asked Snake.
He nodded slowly. “I’ve heard of you.”
“Tell him, darling,” Greyson said, sitting forward.
I took a breath, bracing my nerves to tell these men that were mostly strangers, my story. Why we were here. Why they were protecting people they knew nothing about. What was in it for them? Was Parker paying them? Were they getting immunity if they were good little boys and helped us?
“Have you met Devin Tate?” I asked finally.
“No. But I know that you were his Old Lady.”
My eyes snapped up, bile rising in my throat. “I was not and will never be Devin’s Old Lady,” I bit out. “Old Ladies are generally treated with respect and not abused and tortured for the sadistic pleasure of a sick and twisted man.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know,” Snake said quickly.
“How could you? You only know what you were told.” I pointed at him. “So I may be a lady, but I bet that I’ve seen things that would make you blush. And I’m going to tell you the truth. Devin Tate is a bastard. He will go through anyone and everyone to get higher in life. He craves power. Always has. He doesn’t care who he has to bring down either to gain that control.”
“Who the fuck is this guy?” Snake asked, his eyes wide.
“An asshole.”
“A fucking bastard.”
“Evil incarnate.”
The answers flew around the table, leaving me with my memories. Devin was sadistic but I remembered a time where he was gentle. The time I fell in love with him and as soon as his fist landed against my face the very first time, that fantasy bubble popped. But I couldn’t get away. After that? It was like something had switched in him. I no longer felt his gentle caress or heard his sweet words. He was a cobra that lured me in and struck as soon as he had me wrapped up in his coiled body like that of a snake.
A part of me wanted to stay with him to help him. To let him know that he didn’t need to be such a domineering dick. He only had to ask. But the other part of me stayed out of fear.
“How could one man do so much damage when the cops, FBI, CIA, and us are after him?” Snake asked, interrupting my trip down memory lane.
“It’s because of the people that he has working for him,” Parker explained. “He doesn’t just have people in America. They’re all over. He also has underground dealings going on as well.”
“Sick bastard needs to be knocked the fuck out,” Ex mumbled, cracking his knuckles.
“How are we going to stop him?” Snake asked me.
An evil grin spread on Parker’s face. “That’s where I come in.”
EFORE I died,” Parker shifted beside me, the subject of him faking his death still an uncomfortable topic between us. “I had convinced Devin that I would do anything he wanted. Go through anyone to help him get where he needed to be. And that meant hurting Keely in the process.” He glanced at me, his eyes darkening with a sadness so strong that I wasn’t sure if the guilt he felt would ever go away.
“Why?” Ex asked, rubbing the black goatee on his chin.
“Because I needed to gain that trust again. We had a falling out. His ass ended up in jail. And I will admit that he’s always been jealous of my business skills. He can’t handle his money worth shit. That’s why he has all of these people working for him.” Parker rose to his feet and stood behind me. He cupped the back of my neck, rubbing his thumb up and down the side of it. “The shit he did, that he’s done…I will bring him to his knees.”
Not if I got to him first… but that was an argument that Parker and I would deal with when the time came. Covering Parker’s hand, I gave it a light squeeze, encouraging him to continue.
“Devin has his hand in everyone’s pocket. Paying them to do the shit that he’s too fucking scared to do himself.”
“He doesn’t want to get his hands dirty,” I added. “He’s making it so if shit goes down, it won’t fall back on him.”
“But it will,” Greyson said, sitting forward and tapping his knuckles against the wood tabletop. “We spoke with our charter in Toronto, Ontario. The Canadians are all for bringing that fucker to justice. Apparently he had one of the chapters raided. Some members and children were killed. Women were raped, tortured, and then killed as well.”
Bile rose to my throat as a mental image of the horror that went on under Devin’s orders pounded its way into my skull.
“We may have shady dealings but he’s shitting on me and my crew.”
A round of grunts and nods erupted in the room.
“Does Devin or anyone that he’s involved with have anything to do with your work? Your security detail secure?” Colin asked, crossing his arms under his chest. He leaned against the back of the couch, watching. Always watching.
“Well…” Greyson glanced at Ex. “Some of us are a little more involved than I would like.”
Ex’s back stiffened. “Listen. We’ve had—”
“No!” Greyson snapped, slamming a fist on the table.
I jumped in my seat, catching Troy looking our way. His gaze locked with mine, a hint of sympathy swallowing the blue depths before turning back to the food before him.
“You fucking listen to me. You are putting all of us on the line by being with her.” Greyson pointed at Ex. “I don’t care if she’s a good piece of ass. You are taking a huge fucking risk.”
“She doesn’t talk to him,” Ex insisted. “Besides, she never hid the fact that she’s Devin’s cousin.”
“Exactly. She was way too forthcoming with that information, if you ask me.”
“Well, no one asked you, did they?” Ex snapped, shoving to his feet.
I gasped.
All of the Hell’s Harlem mirrored Ex’s movement, circling him and Greyson. They huddled around the president, protecting him. Although Ex was smaller, he was probably packing. No matter how big you were, a gun would always win out.
“Come on, Ex. Tell me how you really fucking feel. You’ve been on me since this whole shit with Devin started. Maybe I should call a vote and get your ass demoted. I’m sure someone else would love to be fucking VP,” Greyson said, egging him on.
The vice president took a step towards him, his jaw clenching. “Sherry has nothing to do with this. You all can think what you fucking want.”
“You don’t know her!” Greyson yelled.
“Yes, I do!”
“You don’t know shit.” Greyson closed the distance between them, going toe-to-toe with Ex. A man that was supposed to be his brother. A man that had betrayed the club.
I watched TV. I read books. I knew what happened to a man in a bike club that went against his crew. He either disappeared or wound up dead. Either way, being put in the ground was always the final outcome.
“You keep thinking with your dick, it’s going to get us all fucking killed,” Greyson said, pushing him back.
“Who I fuck will not affect the outcome of this shit,” Ex bit out through clenched teeth.
“No? You think so, do you? Look at all of the bodies that have shown up at our door. The fucking bloodbath in this God-forsaken city is starting and it’s not going to go away until that bastard is dead.”
Rip clapped a hand on Greyson’s shoulder, whispering in his ear.
“No. This shit gets sorted now.” Greyson shoved him off and pushed past Ex. “Outside. Now.”
“Well this is fucking great,” Troy muttered, throwing the spoon down onto the counter.
Greyson paused once he reached the patio doors. “Troy, that food smells fucking delicious. Do not let this shit ruin your flow.” And with that he stormed outside, the rest of the crew following behind him.
I caught the slight
blush that spread up Troy’s neck.
“Fuck,” Colin grumbled.
“I second that statement,” I said softly.
“Keely,” Parker whispered in my ear. “Go help Troy.”
My heart jumped, anxiety twisting in my stomach at being rejected by him. Just a little while ago, I was thinking how much I needed to talk to him and now I was scared to.
Troy and Patrick were talking quietly, glancing at me every so often.
Patrick’s eyes were sad as he ran a hand soothingly up and down Troy’s arm.
“He’s mad at me,” I whispered.
“He’ll get over it.” Parker kissed my head and walked up to Troy.
Yeah. Right. Just like Parker got over me being married to the man we all were trying to destroy. In another life, I had loved Devin. He was my first for everything but unfortunately he had forced it from me. The submission that I so willingly gave Parker, Devin had stolen. Ripping me apart. My dignity. My soul.
Muffled yelling sounded from the back yard. Troy was mad at me and I probably wasn’t number one in Patrick’s books either. Parker was closed off. And me? I was looking forward to seeing the light go out behind Devin’s eyes and that scared the ever-living shit out of me. To not feel guilty over someone’s death. Another human being. I said a little prayer, asking for forgiveness because I really had no idea what else to ask for. I believed and then I didn’t. God never protected me when I needed him most. My parents had taught me that God wouldn’t give me any more in life than I could handle but that shit was all lies. But then he brought me Parker. And I was a stronger woman because of everything that Devin did.
“Angel?”
I smiled, looking up at Parker’s term of endearment.
“Come here.”
My stomach tumbled at the firm demand and I did as I was told. Closing the distance between us, I wrapped my arms around his waist.
“Troy and Patrick are spending the night.” He cupped my nape. “I don’t feel comfortable with them being alone when Devin and his band of bastards are still out there.”
I nodded, relief flooding through me.
“Food’s done if you want to tell everyone,” Troy mumbled, turning off the stove.
