by Marie James
No one breathes a sigh of relief until we’ve cleared the iron gates of the compound and they close with a thunderous boom behind us.
“That’s it?” TJ asks, just as shocked as I am as we put distance between us and the most lethal Colombian cartel.
“Looks that way,” Lynch says as he pulls his buzzing cell phone from his pocket and answers it. “Yeah?”
The silence is only broken by the rumble of Boston’s voice on the phone. Concern washes over me when his brow furrows with whatever news our treasurer is delivering. My blood thins as images of an ambush on our compound flash in my head. I’m ten conspiracy scenarios deep about what could’ve happened while we were distracted with Luis Jiménez before Lynch grunts a few words and hangs up.
“What’s going on?” TJ asks, turning in his seat and looking back at his brother.
“Molly disappeared for hours today. He found her working behind the desk at some fucking vet’s office. He said he thinks the doctor there has a thing for her. He said the guy had balls big enough to puff out his chest and question him.”
TJ snorts from the front seat. “She needs a man willing to get his ass kicked over her.”
“Agreed,” Lynch says as he looks out the window, effectively ending the conversation.
I can’t help but feel their words hitting me right in the chest.
Chapter 9
Molly
Anxiousness fills my blood as I sneak down the stairs. The guys came back late yesterday evening, telling by the squeals coming from Lynch and Zoe’s room.
“Breakfast?” Lynch grunts just as I reach for the doorknob.
“I don’t have time to eat,” I explain without pulling my hand from the door.
“Work requires a backpack?”
“Fuck,” I grumble as my hand drops heavily at my side and I turn around to face my nosey-ass brother.
“I’m cooking,” he says as if seeing him standing at the stove over a skillet with a spatula in his hand didn’t explain without words.
“I’m not hungry.”
“The backpack?”
Never one to be redirected, Lynch turns around to fully face me.
“I have a date,” I hedge, giving minimal information in the hope that he’ll just leave it alone.
“With the vet?”
I could cut Boston right now for meddling in my damn business.
“Correct.”
“Pretty tight-lipped this morning, aren’t you?”
“In a hurry is all.”
I grow nervous under his scrutiny. He has a way about him that makes me want to spill all my dirty secrets. It’s a good thing I’m still able to resist because as much as he wants to know every single detail of my life, there are some things that will tear this club apart, and he’s not ready for that information.
“What do you know about this guy?”
“Less than you, I imagine.”
Unable to escape the inquisition, I drop my backpack near the door and pull out a bar stool. Sitting heavily, I lean in, resting my chin on my closed fists and wait for him to get all of his questions out of his system.
“You don’t have to work.” He pulls the skillet from the burner and turns the stove off.
I don’t respond as he plates the scrambled eggs and begins working on putting bread in the toaster.
He waits me out, remaining silent as I just stare at his back.
Sighing, I give in to the pressure to speak. “I want to work. I’m bored just sitting around here all day every day. At least I’m being productive in my spare time.”
“Working outside of the clubhouse brings certain kinds of danger, Molly. You know that.”
“I refuse to stay trapped here.”
His shoulders stiffen. He’s unaccustomed to others telling him what they are or aren’t going to do in his kingdom. He gives a command and expects everyone to roll over and obey. What he may not be aware of is that I’ll leave this place before I’m sequestered here like Zoe. She loves sticking close and being at his beck and call, but I don’t get to lie on the warm chest of the man I love every night and make plans for our future. I’m alone, between cold sheets, trying to forget my feelings because all they do is cause pain.
“You’re not trapped. I just want you to be safe.”
Grumbling my displeasure, I straighten my legs and begin to stand from the stool.
“Sit,” he commands.
Glaring at him with as much frustration as I can manage on my face, I park my ass back right where it was.
“We need to talk about your safety.”
“I can defend myself,” I mutter. “I have a knife, my taser, and pepper spray in my purse. Not to mention, I know you’ll have someone watching me constantly, and you track my phone like I’m a tagged bear in the wilderness.”
“I’m not talking about your physical safety.” Looking uncomfortable, he rakes his hands over the top of his nearly black hair before he sits on the stool beside me. “I want to discuss your sexual health.”
“Fuck this,” I snap and stand again. “I’m not talking to you about the fucking birds and the bees.”
His arm reaches out and clasps my elbow before I can get away. “I know Cowboy never sat you down to talk about this, and as much as I’m not looking forward to this conversation, it has to happen.”
“I know all about sex, Eric.”
I can feel the heat burning my cheeks, but I take the seat beside him. I know I’ll never get away from him now. When he’s focused on something, it’s just better to suffer through and pretend the conversation never happened, exactly like the conversation we both endured when I got my period while Piper was away.
His eyebrows raise at my declaration, and I can damn near see the steam coming from his ears.
“Before you lose your shit, keep in mind that the clubhouse isn’t exactly a convent for reformed sinners. I caught TJ fucking one of the girls when I was thirteen.” I can’t even meet his eyes. Why is this so damn embarrassing?
“You know the logistics,” Lynch agrees, but as if too stressed to sit still, he stands from the stool and walks around the counter to a bag I hadn’t noticed before. “You’re eighteen, and as much as the thought of you having sex with someone makes me want to spill their blood, I know it’s going to happen.”
He holds out the box in front of me. Staring in horror, I can’t even begin to gain the courage to reach for the pack of rubbers he’s gripping in his hand.
“You have to be safe. This place isn’t fit for babies anytime soon. I had TJ grab the multipack because I don’t know what the vet is working with.” He swallows thickly as if even the thought of me having sex with someone causes bile to rise in his throat.
My cheeks are on fire at the thought of my other brother being involved in my deflowering, even though the prospect of sleeping with Owen hasn’t even crossed my mind. Could this fucking day get any worse?
I’m still gaping at the bright blue box of rubbers when the door opens and closes.
“What’s up?”
“Fuck my life,” I moan at the sound of Briar’s voice as he enters the room and walks around so he can see both of us.
“What the hell is going on?”
Great, just what I need.
“I was just talking with Molly about her sexual health.” Lynch shakes the box, unrelenting until I take it from his hand.
“Am I in the Twilight Zone?” Briar stares between his best friend and the prophylactics in my hand. “A couple of days ago you were ready to kill anyone that got near her. Now you’re giving her permission to just go out and fuck anyone she wants.”
Briar’s got some balls to bring up whatever happened between the two of them after Lynch caught us with our lips on each other in the hallway.
“I’m not giving her permission to fuck anyone.”
“Handing her rubbers is permission to do just that,” Briar argues as he reaches for the condoms and tries to snatch them out of my hand.
�
�She has a date tonight.”
Briar’s hand freezes mid-grab, his eyes finding mine for the first time since he joined this happy family moment. “A date? The vet?”
“Jesus, does everyone know my business?”
Briar spins around, glaring at his best friend. “You’re giving her permission to fuck the vet?”
“I’d rather her be prepared than end up knocked up.”
Briar growls, but my brother either didn’t hear him or is pretending it didn’t happen.
While the two of them are distracted talking about my non-existent sex life, I shove the box in my backpack and lift the strap back over my shoulder.
Briar is visibly trembling, fists clenched at his sides as he glares at me when I turn back to tell them goodbye. I wonder what he would say, how he would react if my brother wasn’t in the room.
“This isn’t a good idea,” Briar says through clenched teeth.
“She has to grow up eventually. Maybe dating the vet is a good thing,” Lynch says as he turns and places the plate of eggs in the microwave to be reheated.
“Something else on your mind?” I whisper to Briar.
“You shouldn’t sleep with someone just for the sake of sex,” Briar hisses low enough so only I can hear him. “It should be with someone you care about.”
My teeth grind for a long moment before I can open my mouth to speak. “The man I care for doesn’t want anything to do with me, and he told me to find a good man to spend time with. Owen is adorable, good-looking, and he has a job that he can speak freely about. His secrets aren’t buried under a decade of lies and sins.”
Briar’s face falls before the mask I’ve grown to hate slides back in place.
“He sounds perfect for you,” he tells me with false assurance.
Without another word, I walk out.
When I’d first heard his voice, even in a moment of embarrassing clarity, I’d wanted to tease him, taunt him about my date, hoping it would force him into action. He didn’t turn and tell my brother that he’s the only one worthy of using those condoms on me. He closed himself off and wished me well.
My stomach is in knots by the time I reach my car, but after the drive into town and singing along with a bitter woman about moving on and getting over her past mistakes, my back is straight, and my head is held high.
Who actually meets the love of their life when they’re fourteen anyway?
Chapter 10
Briar
I’m no stranger to pacing. I get most of my best thinking done while walking the length of my room over and over. It’s the blood on my knuckles without a victim lying at my feet that’s the concern right now. The hole in the sheetrock I won’t be able to explain with honesty is also another matter I refuse to address presently.
Bugging the vet’s office with audio and video seemed like a great idea twenty minutes ago, but the functioning part of my brain reminded me that I’m supposed to be letting her go, not obsessing over what she’s doing with that dick-bag.
I huff.
“I never even had her to begin with,” I mutter as I spin and walk again. “What the fuck does she even know about this asshole?”
That thought has me moving. It gives me purpose as I swing open my bedroom door and rush down the hall.
“What’s up?” Boston asks when I pull the door to the office open so hard it clangs against the wall only to swing back and whack me in the arm.
Ignoring him, I focus on Virus. He’s bent over a laptop, uncaring that I just stormed in the office. Seems he’s settled in nice.
“Give us a minute,” I say to Boston without looking in his direction.
“I was just going for a fresh cup of coffee anyway.”
I clear my throat to get Virus’s attention once we’re alone and the door is closed.
Brazenly, he holds up a finger to get me to pause before returning his nimble fingers to the keyboard. Either this guy is stupid, or he has nuts the size of the damn sun. Still, I wait until he presses a final key, and his eyes look up to mine.
“Important things going on?” I nod in the direction of his computer.
“I’ve been trying to beat that level on Toon Blast for days.”
I could punch the smirk off his damn face right now. As if having one incredibly immature bastard around wasn’t enough, this asshole just jumped TJ in childish behavior.
“Did you get the info I asked about earlier?” I grit, determined not to break his nose until I get what I need.
His fingers work over the keys again.
“Owen Marcus Andrews, thirty one year old veterinarian. He’s squeaky clean.” His eyes narrow as he reads info on the screen. “He has no arrest record to speak of. Drives a black Tesla. His social media posts aren’t bad, nothing political, mostly just cute animals. He donates to many local and national charities. His practice is paid for from a trust he got when his grandmother died. No debt at all. From what I can tell, he doesn’t casually date. Had one girlfriend in high school, Stephanie Wiley. She’s a little homely if you ask me.”
“I didn’t,” I spit.
My outburst doesn’t faze him.
“They had an amicable split before they each went to different schools. What’s this?” His eyes narrow slightly. “He did get a ticket from the city for not maintaining his lawn last year.”
“Asshole.” It’s all I got for this perfect guy.
“Oh, wait. He was in the Gulf helping save wildlife after a tanker explosion caused an oil spill. The city dismissed the ticket when he returned.”
“What is he? A fucking priest?”
“Nope. From the looks of it, he had a change of heart after his first semester in seminary school.”
“Seriously?” I walk around the desk to look at Virus’s computer, but from the angle I’m at the screen isn’t visible with the privacy screen in place.
“Not really, but it wouldn’t surprise me. Why do you need this info?”
“What else is there?” I ask ignoring his question.
“I have his college transcripts if you want to dig deeper, but this guy seems pretty perfect. Thinking of investing with him? Doesn’t seem like the type to roll over when he’s pressured to launder money or some shit if that’s where your head is at.”
“Molly is working for him,” I answer, caving with minimal information to keep him from digging any deeper into the whys.
“Prez’s sister?” His brow furrows. “I thought that chick was yours?”
The growl that erupts from my throat is enough to make his eyes wide.
“I’m not pushing up on your territory man,” he assures me. “I haven’t laid eyes on the chick.”
My anger simmers, rumbling right under the surface, begging me to let it escape to release some of the damn agitation that has been building since I walked in on my fucking best friend handing a box of condoms to my girl.
Not my girl, I remind myself.
“As the sister of both the president and enforcer of the Ravens Ruin, it’s my job to make sure that she’s safe.”
Virus smiles. “Awesome.” He waves his hand up and down indicating my stiff stature. “I almost believed that. Repeat it about a million times in front of the mirror, and maybe a blind man would believe you.”
“Did you forget what happened to your old club president?” He shakes his head, not an ounce of fear in his eyes. “You know I could kill you and no one would blink?”
“Bury me with my computer, and I’ll go to hell happy.” His grin is both agitating and refreshing. He’s the perfect fucking fit for this damn club, even if I’d never tell him that to his face.
“Find more on that bastard,” I demand as I turn toward the door. “No one is that squeaky clean.”
“Aye aye Captain,” he mocks to my back as I leave the office and head to the bar.
Ten in the morning or not, a cold fucking beer is about the only thing that sounds good right now. I drain the damn thing the second the prospect shoves it in my hand. I wave
at him to give me another before I can do what my head is telling me. I don’t imagine Molly would be very happy if I showed up and sat in the waiting room at the vet’s office until she got off work, and I’d bet she’d be livid if I insisted on tagging along on her date with the perfect fucking vet.
“I know that look,” TJ says as I carry my beer across the room and fall onto the couch. “Did you interrupt the birds and bees talk between Molly and Lynch?”
Looking over at him, I’m surprised to find a flat and mildly agitated look on his normally playful face.
“If it helps, he insisted I get the variety pack after looking at his picture online. I think he suspects the poor doctor is single because he’s got a micro-peen.”
I refuse to engage with him. He’s been in a shitty mood for weeks. His phone has replaced club whore pussy, and all he does is stare down at the motherfucker and grow agitated. He seems to find joy these days in pissing others off around him.
“If that’s the case,” he continues without being prompted like the asshole he is. “Even if she fucks him, you may still have a shot at her cherry.”
Standing, my half-full beer drops to the floor, rolling out of the way and leaving a trail of bubbles in its wake.
“That’s your fucking sister you’re talking about you piece of shit.”
“True,” he says with a smirk, completely unaffected by my outburst. First Virus, now TJ? I’m losing my fucking touch. “But what is she to you?”
My jaw snaps shut with such force my eyes sting.
“Think about that, why don’t you?”
His eyes narrow when an alert sounds from his phone. Looking down, his face goes from dickhead instigator to red-hot fury.
“I swear to fucking God,” he curses as he stands and makes for the front door.
“Something you need help with?” I ask to his back.
“Nothing I can’t handle on my own,” he mutters before slamming the front door behind him. The aggressive roar of his bike echoes around the living room before fading off into the distance. He’s been doing that a lot lately as well.
“I think he’s got another girl outside of the clubhouse.”
