by Alexa Rynn
I bet he did.
She pushed her long dark hair out of her face and started digging through a bag by the bed. She pulled out a few guns and set them on the bed like it was no big deal until she emerged with a bag of pretzels a few seconds later. “Blaze always leaves random junk food in the room for me, he knows I have a major sweet tooth. I’m Heather by the way.”
I didn’t miss the way her eyes lit up when she mentioned Blaze again.
“Grace,” I told her without thinking.
She held out the bag of junk toward me but I shook my head. “Look, I’m not sure waiting is the best idea. I mean, no offense, but my brother has probably already forget about you. He kind of only has a one track mind and if the brotherhood needed him I doubt he will be back anytime soon.”
It struck me as odd the way she talked about her brother. Like it was no big deal that he would leave a girl he was messing around with tied up in his room while he went off with the club, forgetting about her completely.
But I figured she was used to it, Cutter treating girls like dirt.
And she probably thought I was okay with it, too. Like all the girls her brother messed around with had an understanding that it wasn’t going to be a serious thing. That it was going to be on his terms completely.
And they probably did.
“Right,” I said. “Well, it was nice meeting you.”
Her phone started buzzing on the bed and I glanced down at the screen, seeing Cutter’s name on the caller ID. If she picked up that phone it was game over. Even if I managed to run out before she told him what was going on he would be back here within seconds or one of his brothers would be.
No, I needed the head start.
“Oh, there’s Cutter now.” Heather reached for her phone.
I grabbed it off the bed.
“Hey!” She looked confused.
“I’m really sorry,” I told her, meaning it.
“What? I…”
And then I grabbed one of the guns off the mattress and whipped her across the head with it, sending her flying over onto the ground and knocked out cold.
And then I ran as fast as I could.
Chapter Seven
CUTTER
I had been in better moods in my life. The second my father came around everyone ignored whatever it was I was saying. What was the point of being the Vice President of the most powerful club in the state if every decision I made had to be run by my father?
I wasn’t a little kid anymore.
I was a man.
“You know he’s just doing what he thinks the right move is, Ash.” Blaze took the steps two at a time ahead of me. “He doesn’t even know her but he knows she’s not worth a full on war right now. The Misfits aren’t the only ones the feds are looking at, you know?”
“Don’t try to make me feel better,” I mumbled, dragging my feet behind him. “And don’t try to justify him stepping on my toes as usual either. Besides, it’s not about the girl,” I lied.
“Uh huh,” he said. “Sure it’s not. I see the way you look at her.”
“It’s not! If we start giving in to their demands after all this time they’re going to think that they can get away with it all the time.” We shuffled down the hallway toward the door to the room I stay in above the bar.
“Uh huh, uh huh,” Blaze said, still humoring me.
“And how do I look at her?” Curiosity got the best of me.
“Like she’s your cub and you’re her papa bear and she shouldn’t make a move without your permission.” Blaze chuckled and pulled his leather jacket closer to his body. “It’s almost too cute to handle.”
“You’re such a tool.” I shoved him in the back and he stumbled a few feet, laughing. “Like I said it’s not about her. She’s just some girl who ended up in my way.”
Blaze stopped in front of the door. “Look, I get that you not being able to have her makes you want her even more but we need to handle shit. We can’t get caught up in who’s right or wrong or why we should or shouldn’t keep her. Your father has spoken, and he’s still the President, Cutter. That means until you take over officially that we have to do what he says in the best interest of the brothers.”
“Whatever.” I ground my teeth together. “Let’s just get this over with.”
“Are you sure you don’t want me to handle it? She’s not exactly the calmest girl in the world when it comes to you being around.” He raised his eyebrows, referring to the huge tantrum she had thrown earlier when I was tying her to the bed.
The whole thing had been pretty hot, to be honest.
I wouldn’t mind tying her up in some other ways if it wasn’t for her mouth always going off. She had that whole good girl thing going on, that was for sure. I thought being around my brothers she would be a little more comfortable around me but you can tell she’s not fully comfortable with her sexuality.
Which made her even more of a turn on.
I could just imagine doing things to her that she had never even heard of, things that would blow her mind. The visual is too much to handle and I feel my cock start to twitch with excitement in my jeans.
Too bad she was about to belong to someone else.
“No, I want to do it.”
Blaze shrugged. “It’s your funeral.”
He swung the door open and walked inside. I was only seconds behind him but I knew something was wrong even before I looked around. Everything was wrong and completely out of place.
The ropes were spread out over the bed along with a few guns and one of my duffel bags. Contents of the bag were spread all over the room and Grace was nowhere in sight.
“Fuck!” I said, slamming the door shut behind me.
How the hell had she gotten out of those knots? I had made sure they were so tight that even a grown man would have trouble getting through them. My eyes drifted around the room until they landed on a small pair of feet, sticking out from beyond the bed.
At first, I thought it was Grace but when I got closer I realized it was my little sister. Her hair was sprung out around her and there was a huge gash on one side of her head. A gun laid on the floor next to her. She was knocked the fuck out.
“HEATHER!” I kneeled down next to her. “Heather!”
Blaze was next to me within seconds, shaking her small body back and forth, trying to snap her out of it. “Heather! Wake up!” He sounded panicked which was understandable, Blaze had known Heather since she was born and she was just as much his sister as she was mine.
“Water,” I demanded. “Now.”
Blaze leaped across the room and swung open the small fridge; he grabbed a bottle of cold water and tossed it into my hands in record time. I unscrewed the top and poured a huge pile of the cold liquid over my sister’s pale face.
She jolted awake, spitting water back at us in every direction.
Relief washed over my body. Thank fucking God. I had kept my baby sister safe way too long to have some girl with an attitude problem take her out now.
Blaze moved his hands behind her head. “Take it easy,” he told her softly. “You don’t need to move right now. Just breath.” His eyes were searching hers, worried.
Heather choked up a few more gulps of water. “That…”
“Are you okay?” I put my arm on hers, trying to steady her.
She tried to stand up but ended up falling down on her knees again.
“Whoa,” Blaze said, putting her hand in his. “Just try and sit up. You don’t need to stand right now, you aren’t going anywhere.” Heather nodded and moved the upper part of her body forward.
She was shaking under Blaze’s touch, clearly out of it.
“That crazy bitch knocked me out,” she muttered, shaking her head.
“Heather?” I said slowly. “Are you okay?”
She nodded. “I’m fine.”
Blaze shook his head. “She needs to be checked out.”
Heather shrugged him off. “Stop it, I’m fine. I’m a big girl.”
�
�Clearly since you got knocked out by some girl you just met.”
Heather shot Blaze a nasty glare. “Shut up.”
“Tell me what happened.” I stood up and looked around the room.
“She… she told me you guys were playing some kind of sex game so I untied her. Then she knocked me out with one of your guns, I guess so I couldn’t tell you what had happened.”
Some kind of sex game? My cock twitched again.
“She knocked your sister out.” Blaze stood up, anger on his features. “This isn’t acceptable. She needs to be found and dealt with. Now.” His fists clenched up at the sides.
“No kidding.” I grabbed the keys to my bike off the dresser. “I’m going to find her. Can you…” I glanced at my little sister. I hated that I had put her in any danger; Grace was the last person I thought I had to worry about giving my sister any kind of trouble.
I’d underestimated her.
Blaze glanced down at Heather. “Go ahead, I’ll stay with her.”
“I don’t need to be stayed with,” Heather grumbled. “I’m not a baby.”
“Clearly you do,” Blaze looked her up and down, shaking his head. “How could you be so foolish? You never untie someone who’s bound to anything. Have I taught you nothing?”
I padded Blaze on the back. He could be bad cop this time. “Thanks.”
Blaze waved me off and I could still hear him giving Heather a lecture as I shut the door behind me. Okay, this little game Grace was playing was about to come to an end.
No more Mr. nice biker.
I was going to find her.
And make her regret ever trying to leave me in the first place.
***
GRACE
Okay, so I felt like an asshole for knocking Heather out like that but honestly, what else was I supposed to do? It was kind of every woman for herself at this point. I’m sure if the roles had been reversed she would have done the same.
I flipped on the T. V. for back round noise and flopped down on the bed. I was too worked up to pay much attention but it was better than the silence that filled in the spaces around me.
I didn’t know what to do or where to go after I left so I ended up at a hotel a town over. I wanted to go home and get some clothes and some of my stuff but I was too scared that someone would be waiting for me when I got there. And anything that would attract attention to my family was off limits so it’s not like I had a lot of options when it came to choosing where to go.
I felt so lost and confused.
No doubt Cutter had figured out what I had done by now. He was probably pissed off and looking for me so that he could hand me over in pieces to The Misfits. I don’t know why I even cared. Cutter was such a jerk, it shouldn’t matter if he was pissed off at me or not.
But somehow it did, somehow I still cared what he thought about me.
I shot up in bed and looked around, I’d heard something. Something faint but definitely something. I grabbed my gun off the table next to the bed and pulled the curtain back on the window.
The parking lot was black and silent, just like it had been all night.
I did another scan but still saw nothing.
Ugh, I was so paranoid.
Is this what my life was gong to be like? Every time I heard the littlest thing I was going to turn around? Looking behind every corner and under every bed? I needed to get out of the state and fast.
I shook my head.
I would hold off until morning and then first thing I would book a flight somewhere far, far, away. Somewhere safe. Once I was there I would contact my mom and sister and explain everything.
I didn’t have time for any luxuries if I wanted to live.
And then I heard it again.
The faint sound of something, almost like a tick.
By the time I turned around the door was already being kicked in.
Two men were through the door before I had a chance to fully realize what was happening. I could only see the eyelids of one of the men as he lunged at me before I cocked the gun back and pulled the trigger. The bullet hit him in the shoulder and his eyes widened in shock.
He wasn’t the only one.
Had I really just shot someone?
The man with him was three times my size and had tattoos covering his whole face. He looked at his brother, stunned by what had just happened. “You fucking cunt,” he growled. “You shot him.”
“Stay back!” I shouted, pointing the gun at him. “Stay back or I’ll shoot you!”
“Jesus,” the one I shot said. “No one told us she was crazy.”
The other guy shook his head. “We aren’t going to hurt you, honey, just put the gun down. We just came to talk to you, that’s all.” He took a step closer to me. “Give me the gun.”
“GET BACK!” I yelled again. My hands were shaking like crazy.
“We don’t have time for this.” The one I shot lunged at me, trying to wrestle me to the ground and take the gun from me. His buddy was yanking me across the floor toward the door when he was knocked in the head from behind.
I jumped to my feet and gasped.
Cutter.
“Come here, bitch.” The biker I shot recovered fast, getting to his feet again. My gun had fallen to the ground during the struggle and now he held it, pointing it to my temple. I glanced at Cutter, punching the shit out of the other guy. All I could see was a sea of blood around their bodies.
The biker who had the gun pointed at me followed my gaze. “Ah, shit.” He turned his gun toward Cutter and cocked the safety off.
“No!” I jumped up and punched him in the shoulder, digging my fingers into his open wound and lunging myself on his back. He cried out in pain and tried to fling me off him but I didn’t let go of his wound.
I glanced over his shoulder just in time to see Cutter climb off the guy, pull a gun out of his waistband and pull the trigger. I dropped off the guy I was tackling, stunned.
“NO!” The guy I was on called out, forgetting about his own pain for the time being. He ran over to where his brother was laying on the floor in a pool of blood, his head blown off.
Cutter looked down at the body, rage in his eyes as his chest pounded up and down fiercely. I had never seen anything so scary in my entire life. I turned around and threw up all over the bed, unable to hold back my emotions any longer.
It was humiliating but there was so much blood, so much blood.
The biker’s insides were sprawled out on the floor of my hotel room.
I looked back up at Cutter. His hands were covered in blood and his hair was all messed up. His shirt was torn down the center exposing his perfect chiseled abs. He looked so dirty and sexy.
And dangerous.
The man shook the dead body, screaming. “You fucking killed him!”
Cutter barely knew he existed; his eyes were on me, on my body and expression. His eyes traveled to the pile of vomit on the floor and he raised his eyebrows at me. “Get yourself under control.”
It was a command, not a request.
Tears formed in my eyes. How had I gotten involved in something so crazy? This wasn’t real, I had to be dreaming, was no way this could be really happening to me.
“You’re fucking dead, bitch.” The guy on the ground looked up at me. “Both of you are fucking dead when my brother’s find out about this! YOU THINK YOU CAN KILL ONE OF OURS!” He was screaming now, rage combined with shock was making him hysterical. “NO ONE KILLS ONE OF US AND LIVES TO TALK ABOUT IT FOR LONG!”
Fear and emotion clouded my vision.
Cutter put his hand on my shoulder and I jumped.
He grabbed my hand and shoved his gun inside of it. “Do it,” he whispered. His gaze is locked on my eyes instead of the bloody man and the dead body on the floor.
I shook my head. “Do what?”
“Finish what you started,” Cutter told me. “You have to finish it.”
I looked up at him. “You want me to… you want me to kill him?”
I shook my head. “Are you nuts? I can’t… I can’t kill a man.”
Cutter turned my body toward him, cupping my chin in his hands. “Look at me. Do you trust me?” He was smearing blood all over my chin and I inhaled the stench. He ran his finger over my lips and I ran my tongue over them, tasting the red liquid. “You do, don’t you? You trust me and you don’t know why because you’ve just met me… but it’s not as crazy as you think, Grace. Feelings don’t lie and this is what has to be done.” He pushed a piece of hair behind my ear and moved closer to me. “Do it.”
The guy on the floor leaped up from the floor and made a run for the door but it was too late, I’d already pulled the gun up with shaky hands and pointed it at him.
“Do it,” Cutter ordered. “Pull the trigger, Grace.”
And with a tremble, I did.
Not once, not twice, but three clean rounds.
And then his corpse slumped to the ground.
Dead as a doornail.
Chapter Eight
CUTTER
She sat on the bed in her little skirt and shirt; blood stained her hands and face. She looked faded and confused, sick to her stomach over what she had just done. Taken the life of a man.
A man who deserved far worse.
I had never seen anything so beautiful in my entire life.
I had had the feeling that she was special, that she was different.
Now I was positive.
Positive that I was linked to her in ways I didn’t fully understand yet.
I was so damaged and fucked up. I knew I wasn’t what she needed. A good girl like her didn’t need a guy like me. I was as bad as they came but I didn’t give a fuck. Being near her was too thrilling to care if it was right or wrong.
Since when did I give a fuck about what was right anyway?
Last time I checked it was never.
I took the gun out of her hand and rolled it back and forth between my fingers. “You did the right thing, Grace.” I moved closer to her, letting my eyes travel down her chest and stomach. “It was what needed to be done.”
“Was it?” She looked up at me, defeated. Her dark hair was sticking to her forehead and she had blood smeared all over her cheeks and lips. “How could that be right?”
