“Our situation, yours and mine? Different in many ways and still I need for you to listen closely. I felt so fucking betrayed, angry and honestly hurt…and yet you have no reason to be angry because it’s something from her past, but dammit…they’re women, and emotions and shit, so just listen. Spiky skipped town because she had it set in her mind that I thought she only used me for a quick fuck. Then she got pregnant and she already felt guilty for using me, and here comes a child we didn’t plan on. She came back to tell me she was pregnant but then that shit with the Cape Town crew happened.”
“Doesn’t fucking matter, she should have fucking told you. She had lots of options and chances at any time before the kid was born. Then we could have handled it right away. You would have been able to watch the birth of your son, slide into the whole being a parent thing easy. It wasn’t right, man.” Sico shakes his head in distaste.
“Yeah, believe me, I understand your statement and I fucking double it. Yet you have to see it from their point of view. Pride and dignity, and all the other goddamned emotions are a funny thing. When you’ve already used a person, get backlash from it, and then let that person know about the recent events…you will have no other option but to lean on that person some more. It’s a huge load to throw on someone you don’t even know, other than the few minutes you had together in a bathroom. Spending the most of those minutes enjoying each other’s body instead of talking. See what I’m getting at? Basically, we were two strangers, and she didn’t want to throw it all on me. It might have been selfish, looking at it from my point of view, but instead it was mostly about not forcing me into anything. All about pride, about weakness, fuck…it’s everything. Shit ain’t ever easy but no matter what the outcome, I have a feeling life will always find a way to set things right, or at least have a chance to. Like how we were tied together, how we’ve overcome the things that were standing between us. What I mean is…the way you see a person? Really see them? It’s about background, history, facts, unspoken shit. Not just the exterior. You reflect it with your words, your attitude, your looks, everything.”
Sico stands up. “Dude…is there a point to all of this? Because you’re really starting to sound like a philosopher or something, and I’m lost in your rambling bullshit. I have zero idea where you’re getting at or if you need my help to talk shit through for you and your ol’lady or if this has something to do with Everleigh. Get to the fucking point or shut the hell up.”
“I didn’t trust the woman who gave birth to my child, and who had a grip on my heart and soul, you idiot. That kinda complicates things when you need her to build a future together. I looked at her differently because of all the things I knew, or didn’t know, or because of it…didn’t understand her point of view in the ‘why’.”
He shakes his head. “Nope…still not getting it.”
Fucking hell. Standing up, I shrug a hand over my head. “I saw her with different eyes, fucker. People tend to do that when you judge their actions or intentions. When you hear what you want to hear or know what you’ve heard, or hell…make up your own truth. Until you hear their version and have a complete picture. Fuck. Just remember what I said just now, okay?”
“Right.” A frustrated breath leaves Sico’s body. “Remember the mindless rant. Gotcha.”
“Her ex-boyfriend tied her to the bed, blindfolded her, and she thought he was doing it to spice up their love life, but in fact he let two of his buddies in and they had sex with her…”
“What the fuck, man? Shit. Sorry dude. Was it consensual? You know, when she found out his intentions with two extra guys?” Sico asks.
I slowly shake my head.
“Damn, that’s fucked up.” He wipes a hand over his face.
“There was a video tape.” Anger rises inside me again as I continue. “The fuckers taped the whole thing. There are two versions of that tape and the full version clearly states her saying no and her shocked face when the blindfold gave way.”
Sico takes a step in my direction. “You need my help killing those fuckers? Wait…you’re sure Austin is yours, right? There’s no doubt, it happened after? Or, damn man…”
What. The. Fuck? “I’m not talking about Spiky, you idiot. It’s Everleigh. Her ex…”
He rears back as if lightning struck. All the blood drains from his face while his ass hits the floor. He sits with his back against the bed while he grips his head with two hands. “No, no, no, no…fuck, no.”
“The girls found the full version of the video after Everleigh told them about the whole thing. Everleigh seems to think that she wasn’t raped because she freely let him tie her up and blindfold her.”
“Fuck, no,” Sico growls.
I need to get it all out, so ignoring him I continue once more. “You know how it is, when something is on the internet, you can’t shake that shit. If anyone would see this, say a new boyfriend or parents of a potential friend, or anyone…She’s labeled as a whore either way.”
Sico is standing on his feet in a flash. “So, she made herself one the very first day she walked into this damn town? Fucking everyone? The whole three holes, three go thing?” He’s breathing heavily as he mutters, “Damn that woman. A tormented soul. What they did…she turned it into the very thing she used as her own punishment. The three time’s a charm thing my ass, it has a whole different meaning to her. Holy fucking hell, that’s screwed up.”
“Basically. I didn’t even think of it that way with the three times shit... But Sico…she only fucked like that one time. She made sure it was out in the open so there wouldn’t be any doubt. She planted the rumor about the three times, seeing it was a public display, she had no hard time letting people believe otherwise.” Okay, I wasn’t sure what to expect when he knew the truth, but shit…that’s a lot of fury spitting off his face.
He starts to pace and I’m seriously having doubts if telling him was a smart decision.
Sico stops midstride. “I am going to hunt down every fucker who was involved. I swear right here, right now, I will end them,” he snarls.
Suddenly all fury is gone and replaced with pain, agony, and regret. “She’s not at all like me, man. She’s too fucking good for me. The shit she went through? Fucking hell, I should have never claimed her. What the hell was I thinking? But I’ll be damned if I stray from my first intentions. She’s mine. Only mine. I protect what’s mine and I will rain fury over those who hurt her, present, future, or the fucking past.” He rakes a hand through his hair. “I can’t believe a guy would do that to her. Tie her up without discussing bringing in extra dicks, no way out…what she had to endure…the aftermath…”
Damn. There it is, I knew it would hit. “Okay, that look on your face right now? Don’t ever let that shit slide on when you’re near her. That’s what I was talking about. You can’t see her differently, because…”
“You can’t just un think or un see shit. It’s like that ‘two girls and a cup’ video you should never Google. It’s branded in your mind forever.” The pain is edged into his voice.
My hand clenches into a fist before I punch him in the shoulder. “That’s just it, man. She survived it. Hell, from what they’ve told me, she explained to Brandlee it was all a bet. Just held out her phone with the video for him to see the day after it happened. So he wouldn’t search online or anything, and if he did happen to stumble upon it or anything, he’d already know about it. That’s how damn strong she was, even if she was totally humiliated. Don’t you get it? People take their own goddamn life for one nude shot on social media, hell…even threat about placing it online. Living with that shit is branding life at every turn. Everleigh doesn’t need you ripping it open all over again. And she sure doesn’t need your look of pity.”
Sico narrows his eyes at me. “Before Everleigh, I thought love was a fucking illness people catch from time to time. Your body heals, you get over it, or you die from it. I didn’t want anything that would taint my health, my body, or my mind. I never understood people going o
ut of their mind over it. Because I didn’t realize what it meant. Until now. It’s Everleigh. I crave for the disease called love to take hold of my body. I feel like I wanna die from it, man. Because I know for fucking sure my last breath will leave my body anyway if I can’t have her.”
Okay. I think I need a minute or so to process this. Did he really just say what I think he said? “Damn, man. That sounds very weird and somehow romantic, but in a very twisty way. And from the way I just interpreted that…are you finally admitting out loud that you love your ol’lady?”
He gives me a tight nod. “I knew it the first time I walked in the tattoo shop to get inked and I laid eyes on her. She was standing there getting everything ready. Her tight ass was facing me in those jean shorts where her ass cheeks were almost creeping out. She turned, and when we locked eyes we both needed a moment to catch our breath. Then she inked me and it was like she rubbed it on my skin using her pussy. I swear it was such a turn-on…the moment she was finished and walked to the counter to clean up, I pulled down her pants, unleashed my dick and…”
“Okay, TMI, man. For real. Too. Much. Information.” I shake my head. I don’t need to know that shit.
“She came around my dick the second I shoved home, man. Making the cum pump right out. No condom. I have never, ever, shoved it somewhere without wrapping it up. My dick found the promised land man. Never wanting to leave. That’s why…”
“Why you claimed her.” I finish his sentence because it all makes sense now.
Sico is a manwhore. I mean he’s got the ‘I love hos ink on his arm to prove it. He doesn’t give a woman an orgasm. Not even by accident or by choice. That’s why I was so surprised I heard him demanding an orgasm from Everleigh last night.
“Yeah. But this changes everything,” Sico swears.
Gripping my hand, I rub my thumb in my palm. “How? What’s your plan? You can’t just walk up to her and tell her that you know. Or demand that she tell you, or hell…get her to act normal and be all happily ever after.”
“Black ice. Tricky motherfucker. But I’ll be damned if it will keep me from obtaining the very thing I need in life.” Sico’s voice is laced with determination.
“Good. Let’s get going, because I need to hold my son.” I can’t wait to see Austin, see with my own eyes that he’s okay.
Striding to the door, I open it and hear Sico mutter. “Just keep that cat locked up, nobody wants that angry fucker around. You should have named her Edward…as in Scissorhands, slicing people up like that.”
“Hey,” I snap. “Watch your mouth. That’s my furbaby you’re talking about.”
His left eyebrow raises. “No disrespect, man. Seriously. Last time I checked only you were able to be in the same space as Fuzzbutt. That changed when your son and ol’lady came along. Maybe I’m stealing a page from her book, changing my ways for that special someone.”
“Okay. I’m out of here before you turn into a nice guy, instead of the dick I’ve gotten used to all these past years.” I chuckle but on the inside, I’m fucking proud as hell.
I always knew there was a hint of a good guy inside of that ugly, asshole motherfucker.
Chapter 12
***Orianna***
“Your house is amazing,” I gush while hugging Austin tight to my chest.
I’m afraid to put him down. Hell, I was sure I was dead set on holding him tight for the rest of my life. Well, maybe pass him to Pokey every once in a while, because there would be bathroom breaks in the near future. But yeah…that’s how protective and on edge I am about his safety.
It’s pretty needless at this point, because when I set one foot inside Everleigh’s house it was clear; this is the safest place in the whole world. For real, the President of the United States would be very jealous if he knew about her place and would fly over here to hide in case of something insane happening. No wonder the guys back at the clubhouse were talking about it.
The outside looks like a gray, solid brick. The windows have moving walls to cover up said windows. But the inside? Wow. It’s just amazing with all this new, top of the line, design stuff. The living room is built around an inset square couch covered with white leather. Silver balls hang from the ceiling giving an amazing glow to the center of the room.
The whole room is covered in a light gray floor, that looks like wood but is all tile. A large, dark gray stairwell on the left leads to the second floor where Everleigh has eight bedrooms and three bathrooms. She did an amazing job creating a home she feels safe in.
Everleigh gives me a shy smile. “It was a project of mine I got to finalize over the last few months. I’ve had the blueprints for years and finally had the nerve to solidify them when Brandlee called me to come live here. It’s not completely decorated yet, but the top floor and the living room are. The kitchen still needs some more work and the basement where I have my game room planned is all concrete.”
“What game room?” Sico’s voice sounds even, with not even a spark of interest coming through.
Everleigh doesn’t even turn to address him. “That’s my point, asswipe. Didn’t you just hear me state it’s all concrete. So yeah, what game room? Duh.”
“Okay, you two. Play nice. Austin needs happy vibes around him, not killer ones,” Pokey states as he takes Austin and leans in to rub his nose against Austin’s tiny one. “You comin’ with daddy? Gonna take a nap nap? With Fuzzbutt? Come, little man. Let’s get you all tucked in.”
My eyes are on Pokey and Austin when I hear Sico’s voice drop low, yet it reaches my ears. “Simi, can I look over the plans of the game room? I’d like to see those.”
Glancing over, I see Everleigh cross her arms in front of her. “Why would you? And stop calling me Simi. It makes my skin crawl. It’s Everleigh. Only my parents and my brother used to call me Simone. My parents are gone and Lee learned to stick with Everleigh. For real, why shorten it to a nickname anyway? No one has ever called me Simi, it’s weird.”
The left corner of Sico’s mouth tips up. “I like it.” He steps closer to her and leans in. Her eyes widen a bit when he closes in on her personal space. “Now show me, Simi.”
I see her breath hitch and I have to smile. She’s clearly shaken up. Everleigh steps back and rubs a hand over the back of her neck.
“Desk in the corner, third drawer on the right, that’s where the blueprints of the game room are stashed.” She squeaks before turning and heading in the opposite direction. “I’m gonna grab some snacks I made earlier.”
When my attention goes back to Pokey, I see his bright smile. Clearly, he saw their interaction too. He told me about his conversation with Sico. I’m glad Sico knows about Everleigh. Those two need to clear things and most of all? Everleigh deserves better. Ugh. I hate to say it…but Sico deserves to be happy too.
This is also the first time he’s ruffled her feathers in a good way. Not what he used to do, poke a bear and gut it in the process. That little change has thrown her out of her element. Yes. This might just be what they need to ease the tension between them.
Pokey’s eyes find mine. “I’m gonna put Austin down for his nap. Then I need to call my sister.”
“Sonofanelephant,” I mutter, trying to watch my curses around Austin, because before I know it he’ll be able to speak and with these men around us and their foul mouths? Yes, rein in the bad words.
We were supposed to take Austin to his sister’s today. That’s right, a big family meeting. I’ve talked to his sister, Audrey, three times on the phone already. She seems very sweet. I first thought she would hate me because of what happened between Pokey and me. Yet, she knew everything and understood my version and didn’t so much as waste two words about it until we were rambling about pregnancies, birth, babies, and kids.
We were supposed to get the kids and us together to meet face to face for the first time. I guess that will have to wait, for our safety and theirs. Disappointment slices through me.
“Hey.” Pokey lifts my chin using two finge
rs. “I’ll just reschedule. It’s no big deal. Casey will clear this thing up before you know it.”
“We were all looking forward to it.” I sulk.
His chuckle warms my chest. “I know, sweetheart, I know. All in good time. Now, are you gonna help me with Austin? Maybe we can watch a movie in our room, give Fuzzbutt some attention to snuggle up.”
I feel a smile spreading my face. “Only if I’m allowed to snuggle up too.”
“Ugh, yuck, you guys. Snuggling triggers my gag reflex, get a room already.” Sico rolls his eyes.
Pokey’s phone starts to ring. He hands Austin to me as he takes the call. “Zack, what’s up?”
“They’ve made contact. I need for you guys to stay put. Do not leave that fucking house. They know exactly where you are. I’ll be there in about fifteen minutes.” There’s no trace of bullshit in his voice, only the bark of information and orders loud enough for even me to hear.
Seeing Pokey lowering his hand, Zack didn’t give him a chance to reply and must have disconnected.
“The Cape Town crew made contact. Zack’s coming over, we’re not to leave this place,” Pokey repeats the words Zack gave him.
“Dandy. Juuuuuust dandy,” Ransom mutters as he places his hands behind his head and snuggles into the couch some more.
“What?” Pokey snaps.
Ransom shrugs his shoulders. “Nothin’. You know how these things work. ‘They’ve made contact’ that’s either a threat, or a retreat. Either way, it’s a puff of steam.”
“My fucking kid and ol’lady are at stake here, Ransom. That’s no fucking puff of steam,” Pokey roars.
Ransom shoots off the couch. “I didn’t fucking mean it like that, fucker. It’s a loop. This Crew is anything but organized so they will make some waves and dive under. Either brilliant or stupid as fuck. Both dangerous. Why? Because the grenade says it all. They were going for a real one and ended up with the flash grenade. What if they wanted the flash grenade but ended up with a real one, huh? A puff of steam. Heat thrown with cold. Can’t fucking see through that shit. Get me now, dumbass?”
Pokey_Areion Fury MC Page 10
