by LM Terry
My heart shatters all around us. I crouch down in front of her. “The adoption is almost final, soon he will be your daddy.”
“I don’t think he wants me to call him that though.” She looks into my eyes sadly.
“Why? Katie you can call him whatever you feel comfortable calling him. He and Candice love you. They want you to be their daughter, just like Ally.”
“And you?”
I sigh. “Yeah, me too. We will all be sisters soon.”
She smiles brightly at this. “So, you don’t think he will get mad?”
“No, he will definitely not be mad.” I kiss her on the cheek and stand. “Let’s go home and get supper started. What sounds good?”
We step outside. “Pizza!” she squeals.
Teddy growls and pushes in front of us pinning us to the building. Katie screams at the sudden change in him. I push her behind me and glance around looking for what has the dog so pissed off. My eyes find the offending person standing across the street in front of his bike. His black jacket is draped across the seat. The Devil’s logo with a large cross embroidered across the back.
Katie whimpers when she sees him.
His eyes take us in. He tips his head, waiting to see what I’ll do. I pat Teddy to try and calm him and turn to face Katie. I block her visual of him with my body. “It’s okay. Take Teddy and go back inside. He’s here to see me. It’s just club business. Everything is fine. It will just take me a minute.”
She starts to cry. “He’s friends with the bad man,” she groans.
“I know, sweetie. The bad man is gone. I promise. This one won’t hurt you. Just go inside, lock the door and wait for me.”
I unlock the door for her, and she quickly hurries inside. I pull Teddy back. He’s still growling at the man across the street. I shove him in and wait to hear the lock click. Once it does I spin around and storm across the street.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” I demand.
Crow’s gaze peruses over me leisurely. He lights up a cigarette blowing smoke in my face.
I stand there with my arms crossed over my chest, fuming. Fucking fuming that he scared Katie.
“A little bit tougher than the last time I saw you,” he says with a smirk.
I take a step back, his words sending me spiraling back to the weekend in the trailer. My eyes go to the silver crow dangling from his neck. He chuckles, happy to have struck a nerve.
“What do you want?” I force my eyes back to his cold, dark, black, soulless ones.
“I’m here to talk about reparations.”
I laugh and turn away. I’m not entertaining any ideas of reparations.
“Katie seems real happy with Bill and Candice.”
I stop, my foot hovering mid-air.
“Do you know I just happen to know her real father. Wouldn’t it be sad if he decided to come forward? Especially now that the adoption is so close to being finalized.”
My heart splats on the ground. He could be lying but after the way my life has played out, he is more than likely telling the truth.
“He’s not a nice man either. Kinda like the guy from my club you had killed.”
Slowly I spin around.
He blows his smoke towards the sky before tilting his head to look at me. “Not that I give a fuck. I would have killed him myself had I known.”
I stand there. Ready to take the bullet he shoots my way if it means Katie doesn’t get hit. “Oh, if you’re into killing pedos then maybe you should start with yourself,” I sneer. He’s no better than the man that hurt Katie.
He shakes his head and points his cigarette at me. “Boy do I wish my brother was here to see this.” He motions over my body, whistling. “You know your mom used to let us tag team her.”
Red. All I fucking see is red. I charge at him. My fist connects with his jaw sending his cigarette flying out of his filthy mouth.
I grab my hand, pulling it to my chest. Jesus, that fucking hurt. He grabs me by my hair and shoves me over the seat of his bike, my stomach pressing hard into the leather. My head hangs over the other side. I stare at the sidewalk, tears blurring my vision.
He leans over me pressing himself into my backside. He tugs my hair pulling me so that his face is next to mine. “If you ever hit me again. You. Will. Regret. It,” he spits in my face.
Crow grinds himself against my ass. My anger quickly veers to fear. He won’t rape me here, I remind myself. Not in broad daylight.
He pulls me back harshly, tossing me to the ground. My elbows scrape the pavement as I brace myself from the impact. Crow crouches down in front of me. I wrap my arms around myself, hiding my face from him. “This is more like it,” he says, happy with the fact he put me in my place.
He grabs my arm, pulling a pen from his pocket. He bites the cap off and scribbles a phone number on my skin. He stands, pushing the cap back on and shoving it in his jeans.
Crow takes hold of my hand and pulls me to my feet. “Call me tonight and I’ll give you directions on where to go.”
“I’m not going to be able to get away from the warehouse.”
He tosses his leg over his bike. “You’re a smart girl, Jesse. You’ll figure it out.” His leg shoots down and his bike roars to life. I don’t move until he is completely out of sight. And then I still don’t move. I don’t move until Katie comes running out with Teddy.
“Jesse, oh Jesse. Did he hurt you?” she cries hugging me around the waist.
“It’s okay, Katie. I’m fine. You ready to go home?”
She nods wiping tears from her eyes. “I was so scared.”
“It’s…it’s okay. Hey, how bout we pick up that pizza we were talking about.”
On the way home I glance over at her. She is sharing a piece of pizza with Teddy. I know. I know. But, after the day I’ve had I need to pick my battles. Her sharing with her new best friend is the least of my problems.
“Hey, we don’t need to tell Bill about that guy today. Okay?”
She wipes her mouth on her arm. She nods and turns away from me.
“I mean it Katie. I handled it. We don’t want to worry Bill do we?”
She shakes her head still not looking at me.
I sigh and we finish the rest of the short trip in silence. I hope she doesn’t tell Bill. I can’t risk the adoption not going through.
Once we are home Katie runs off with Teddy. I set the pizzas in the dining room and head to my room to shower. My elbows hurt like a bitch. I can tell they were bleeding, but I didn’t want to draw Katie’s attention to them.
When I get to my room any strength I thought I had vanishes. I collapse on my bed, shaking. Everything was going so well. I should have known.
Oh god. I told Katie to lie…well not lie but same thing.
Knowing that I need to make this right as soon as possible I hop up and head back downstairs. Goddammit, what was I thinking asking her to keep quiet? That’s the last thing she should do.
Katie and I bump right into each other as she comes around the corner from my father’s office.
She glances up at me nervously.
I drop to my knees in front of her. “Katie, I owe you an apology. I’m so sorry I asked you not to tell Bill about today. That was wrong of me.”
She raises her eyes to me while twirling her shirt in her hands.
I brush the hair out of her face, cupping her cute little cheeks in my hands. “I’m used to handling my problems on my own I guess, and I didn’t think about what I was asking of you. You should never lie or keep scary things to yourself. I’m so sorry, Katie.” I drop my head in shame.
Katie’s little hands cradle my cheeks just like I had done to her. “It’s okay, Jesse. I told Bill about the man who hurt me. It made me feel better. You should tell him about the man who hurt you. You can tell daddy anything.”
She called him daddy. Katie, little Katie giving me her words of wisdom is too much. I break down as she puts her arms around me hugging me tight.
&n
bsp; “I love you, Jesse. I’m so glad you’re going to be my big sister.”
I sniff back my emotion, returning her hug. “And, I’m so glad you’re going to be my little sister. We will always look out for one another, won’t we?”
She nods her head and uses her hands to wipe away the tears on my cheeks. “I already told him that the bad man was there today.” Katie looks me straight in the eye, not one hint of regret.
“Thank you for having my back, little sis,” I give her a kiss on the forehead and then push myself up off the floor. “I better go talk to him.”
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Jesse
◆◆◆
Italked to my dad. It wasn’t as uncomfortable as I thought. He cleaned up my elbows, fixed me up a slice of pizza and sent me to bed. Like a child. Part of me doesn’t mind, the other part wants to sneak out and call Crow. I’m trying to put all my faith into dad and the club. I am. I’m trying.
He came in to check on me before he went to bed. I asked what they were going to do about Crow. “He’s bluffing, Jesse,” was all he had to say.
While that may be true I don’t think Crow is simply going to give up. Me calling his bluff on this is going to anger him. He’s wanted to make my dad pay for killing his brother for a long time and he’s determined to do that through me.
My door opens, Dirk’s familiar tobacco scent wraps around me. His boots thud to floor one after the other as he takes them off. He slides under the covers pulling me close to him.
“What are you doing in my room? Dad will kill you if he finds you in here,” I whisper.
He kisses the back of my head. “I needed to hold you.”
My heart thumps a happy little tune. “How is your sister?” I turn in his arms so I can look into his eyes.
“She’s good. I took her back to her hotel.” He brushes his thumb over my temple his eyes bouncing over my face.
“Where has she been all these years?”
“She doesn’t remember much of her life before the abduction. She was raised by a couple who couldn’t have kids.” He pauses to lean in and kiss my lips gently. “She started to realize something wasn’t right when she asked why they didn’t have any baby pictures of her. The more she dug the more suspicious she became. So, she did one of those DNA swabs and it connected her to Dan on some ancestry page. He had done a test a few years ago. Anyhow, with the help of a therapist she has gotten some of her memories back, but they are choppy at best.”
“Did they hurt her?”
“No, she said they were loving parents. Probably better than our own. My parents gave us lots of things, they had money, but they were never home.”
My heart breaks. He looks so sad. “She’s here now. It’s not too late to have a relationship with her. Look at me and my dad.”
His mood ring eyes glow in the moonlit room. “I failed her back then.” He rolls onto his back. “And, I failed you today.”
“What?” I prop myself up on my elbow, wincing. “You did not fail me.”
He pushes himself up, grabbing my arm. Gently he twists it so he can examine my elbow. Starting at my shoulder he kisses all the way down my arm, pausing over the scrape. His eyes meet mine. “I should have been there today.”
“You can’t follow me around everywhere.”
“Fuck if I can’t.”
“Dirk,” I shove him playfully. “Be serious. I handled it fine on my own.”
He pushes me on my back and crawls over me. “From now on you don’t go anywhere without me. I’ll drop you off at the shop and pick you up. Period.”
“You’re fucking crazy,” I giggle, trying to roll out from under him.
“I’m serious. I hid your keys to Sylvia. So, the back of my bike is your only option.”
My giggles evaporate in thin air. “What?”
He slides my panties off my hips, his mouth trailing behind them as they slip off my toes.
“Dirk.” I try to shove him off me, grunting for effect. “For one you can’t take my keys. Two we can’t do this here. Dad will hear us, he’s in the next fucking room,” I whisper yell, my ire rising with each beat of heart.
His eyebrow pops up over his glowing eyes. Jesus I can’t deny him. I still beneath him.
“He won’t hear me. He’ll hear you.” He pokes me in the chest, a devilish smile spreading out on his face.
I watch as he peels his shirt off and unbuttons his jeans. Shit we are really doing this here.
His kisses make me forget where I’m at. They are everywhere. When his kisses trail off, his hands take over. Before I know it I’m panting, fisting the sheets in my hands. He smiles down at me, happy that he has effectively rendered me speechless.
He settles between my legs, nudging me gently. We both moan quietly when he enters me. The rest of the world fades away. There is nothing better than feeling his skin pressed against me.
Dirk doesn’t take his eyes off mine as his hand slides up between my breasts, he pauses over my throat before placing his hand over my mouth. He tilts his hips, hitting me in a spot that brings tears to my eyes. Oh, god. Oh, god. Right there. Don’t stop. Don’t stop.
I fall. I fall. I fall.
His hand presses against my mouth almost painfully as he traps my screams of ecstasy behind my closed lips. He holds himself above me, chasing his own pleasure when I combust again. Something about the way he takes control of my body, bending it to his will turns me on.
When he reaches the peak, his eyes turn a shade I’ve never seen before. He falls on top of me, his face pressed in the crook of my neck. He removes his hand from my mouth, allowing me to finally catch my breath.
“Now, back to what we were talking about,” I whisper in his ear.
He laughs, his whole body shaking on top of mine. His head bops up, a genuine smile on his scary, beautiful face. “Well, that didn’t work. I’ll have to do better.”
He flips me onto my stomach pressing me down into the soft mattress with a palm to my back. He slides into me from behind in one smooth motion, his legs on either side of mine, effectively pinning me to the bed. Oh. Oh, that feels fucking good. He leans down and whispers in my ear. “I’m going to fuck you all night, Jesse.”
I moan in response.
“You’ll be too wore out to argue with me after that.”
Good news is Dirk is a-fucking-mazing in the bedroom.
Bad news is Dirk has figured out a way to effectively shut me up. If that is indeed bad news.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Jesse
◆◆◆
Dirk is scowling as Jeremy helps me put the finishing touches on Sylvia’s new paint job. I left her with the natural rust color but added the Rebel Skull logo on each of her two doors. She looks bad ass.
I stand back to admire her. Dirk makes his way over to us. Jeremy promptly excuses himself. “What do you think?” I ask him.
“I think Jeremy spent too much time leering over your shoulder.”
I bite my lip and back away from him, one tiny step at a time. His predator eyes emerge. I pause. My heart slows as I plan my escape.
This has become our game.
He always wins but I don’t mind. It’s me that wins in the end. I’m always rewarded for putting up a good chase.
I dart out of the garage making it all the way to the warehouse before he catches me. He pins me face first against the building. “Jesse, Jesse, Jesse. It does no good to run from me,” he growls in my ear.
Pushing my butt out I rub shamelessly against his crotch. He deepens his growl. His lips lock onto the side of my neck. “We should go in,” I whisper. My libido hitting an all-time crescendo. I cannot get enough of this man.
He flips me around, his hands grabbing my ass, hoisting me off the ground. I wrap my arms around his neck, my legs quickly strangling his waist. He groans into my mouth making me melt against him.
A little squeal pulls our lips apart. Dread seeps into my bones. Shit. Shit!
My feet drop
to the ground. Dirk stares into my eyes, a silent apology passes between the two of us. We had been so careful. But, the longer we are together the easier it is to forget we are supposed to be hiding our relationship.
Slowly he backs away from me. I glance over his shoulder, finding Katie jumping up and down, her hand locked in dad’s. His face is red…so red. He tells Katie to run along into the house. She waves to Dirk and I before doing as asked. The minute she disappears inside my dad is on Dirk.
When his fist connects with Dirk’s face I scream. “Dad, stop.” I try to get between the two of them but, he pushes me away, knocking me to the ground.
Dirk takes a few more punches before Dan and Raffe show up, pulling Bill back. “I’m going to kill him,” he yells as he tries to fight his way free. Dirk stands up and wipes blood from his face with the bottom of his t-shirt.
I sit on the ground dumbfounded by the scene playing out before my eyes.
Dan tightens his head lock on my dad. “What the fuck is this about?”
My dad glares at Dirk. “He was taking advantage of my baby girl.”
Dirk spits a glob of blood on the ground. His eyes sliding to mine.
“He…he wasn’t taking advantage of me.” I hop to my feet, crossing my arms over my chest.
Dan looks at Dirk. “Is what Bill says true?”
Dirk raises his hands shoving them into his hair. “It’s…it’s complicated.”
Raffe bounces in between Dirk and the other two putting his hands out to hold everyone at bay. “Let’s just go in and talk about this like fucking adults. Bill you know Dirk would never hurt Jesse.”
“He had her pinned to the fucking wall,” my dad growls. His face turning a deeper shade of red.
A black car peels into the driveway behind us.
A round of gunfire shatters the afternoon.
I watch in horror as Raffe falls to the ground. Dan and my dad slide back into the entryway of the warehouse as Dirk reaches for me. I pull away dropping to the ground, covering Raffe’s body with my own.
The gunfire continues around us. As chaos breaks out, men from the club come rushing out, firing at the car that opened fire on us. Dirk crawls to Raffe and I, his gun pointed over the top of our heads. He fires as they peel away.
