Circle of Death

by Colleen Masters

  Juliet turns her back to me, and I see the words scrawling across the back of her cut: Property of Packer.

  “I am,” she smiles, turning back to face me.

  “You’re married?” I ask again, taking a step away from her.

  “What’s wrong?” she asks, “I thought you’d be happy about it. It’s such a normal, real-life thing to do—”

  “You got married without me there. I wasn’t at your wedding,” I cut her off.

  “Well, no...” she allows.

  “But we pinky swore that we’d be each other’s maids of honor,” I blurt out, knowing full well that I sound like a ten year old. “We were going to pick out our dresses together, and throw surprise bridal showers...I mean, I wouldn’t want any of that pink, frilly shit now either, but you didn’t even let me know your wedding was happening!”

  “If it makes you feel any better, no one was there except for the justice of the peace and a couple of witnesses,” she says. “You didn’t miss much.”

  I don’t even know what to say. I have so many questions about Juliet’s life over the past six years. But even if we had much longer than a week to catch up, I’m afraid that the rift between us is just too vast to traverse. Most of the reason I took this assignment was to find my sister, connect with her again. But what if that connection is simply...impossible?

  “So...” Juliet says, sitting down on a flat boulder overlooking the sea. “Now that I’ve dropped that bomb on you, do you mind if I ask how the hell it is that you ended up out here?”

  My stomach flips over at her question. What, is she reading my mind or something? We were always borderline telepathic when we were little. Does she suspect my ulterior motives for staking out this depraved island paradise, not to mention her new family?

  “Um...Well, I heard some girls from my school talking about this place,” I say, sitting down beside her, “And I asked if I could come along. See what it was all about.”

  “But you were never into this kind of stuff,” Juliet points out.

  “You never knew me past the age of sixteen. You don’t know what I’m into,” I reply.

  “Yeah, OK,” she laughs, nudging me softly, “So you’re telling me that my little sister, the straight-A student, mathlete, star of the soccer team, straight-edge good girl suddenly developed a taste of bikers and bedlam?”

  “Sure. Why not,” I reply, dodging her question.

  “Color me shocked, then,” she shrugs, “I hope you don’t mind my saying so, but you still don’t seem the type to seek this out.”

  “I’m having a pretty good time so far,” I tell her. And that’s not a lie, either. Sure, I never intended to get stuck out here, but now that I’m in the hands of Devlin Vile...I may not mind this whole stranded on an island thing so much after all.

  “I just worry that you might get in over your head without even realizing it,” Juliet insists. “I mean, Christ, did you seriously spend the entire night with Dev?”

  Again, the mind reading thing is too creepy. “Yeah,” I tell her, pulling my knees into my chest, “Yeah, we hit it off as soon as I got here.”

  “You and Devlin Vile hit it off,” she repeats, narrowing her eyes at me.

  “Is that so impossible to imagine?” I ask, annoyed by her scrutiny.

  “Kind of,” she laughs.

  “Why, because I’m not sexy, or interesting, or wild enough to snag him?” I press.

  “I’ve known Devlin a long time, Logan,” Juliet says, trying to choose her words wisely. “He’s not exactly the caring, gentle type.”

  “I’m perfectly aware of what type of guy he is,” I respond, a bit heatedly.

  “Trust me. You don’t,” Juliet insists, “Not after one night. Devlin is one of the most viciously loyal, ruthlessly principled outlaws I’ve ever met in my life. He’s one of my best friends, and I love him like a brother. But he can be fucking dangerous too, Logan. And he’s never been one for keeping the same girl around, night-to-night.”

  “You don’t think I can hold his interest?” I demand.

  “I don’t think any woman can,” she shrugs.

  “Well, what if I told you that he’s promised to look after me for the week?” I shoot back.

  “I’d ask you what he’s expecting in return, and whether you’re really willing to give it,” Juliet says pointedly.

  My cheeks glow red as I remember my exchange with Devlin earlier today. The terms he laid out for me: A week with him in return for absolute submission.

  “Don’t be embarrassed,” Juliet goes on, “It’s not every woman who could even keep him for a night, let alone two. Look, if you can’t keep up with him from here on out, or decide you don’t want to, I’ll take care of you. I promise.”

  And though I appreciate the offer of goodwill from my sister, the only thing I can think in response to her warning is “challenge accepted”.

  “We’ll just have to see how the week goes, I guess,” I tell her, rising to my feet once more. “But don’t write me off just yet, Sis.”

  “I get the feeling that would be a mistake,” she smiles, linking arms with me as we make our way back toward the imposing walls of The Club. “Maybe the two of us have more in common than I thought.”

  Chapter Eleven

  The entire island begins to stir the second the sun sinks down over the horizon. Like a great, powerful beast waking from a deep slumber, The Club wakes up hungry, lusting for every morsel it can sink its lethal claws into. I can only hope that Devlin’s hunger for me is equally fierce tonight.

  I give myself a once-over in the darkened window of my bedroom. The tight leather bustier and micro cutoff shorts I’ve picked out are showcasing my curves in all the right ways. Thank God Juliet put on a little weight since I saw her last, or else these clothes would be held on by nothing more than hopes and dreams. I’ve curled and teased my hair into a tumble of thick black curls that cascade down my bare back. Knee-high leather boots and a smoky eye complete the look. Now I just have to hope that Devlin will like the final result as much as I do.

  Applying a quick swipe of my signature red lipstick, I take a breath and knock tentatively on his bedroom door.

  “Get in here, babe,” I hear him call out.

  A thrill runs through my heart as I push through the barrier between our respective spaces. As I enter, Devlin is just shrugging into his leather cut. His black jeans and dark gray tee shirt glance against his perfect muscles, defining the balanced, sleek shape of him. We each stop in our tracks as we catch sight of the other, riveted into stillness.

  “Good goddamn,” Devlin whistles, eyes raking along the length of my scantily-clad body. “How the fuck am I supposed to keep my hands to myself when you come in here looking like that?”

  “Maybe I don’t want you to keep your hands to yourself,” I grin, doing a little spin for his benefit. “Ever think of that?”

  “Well, as much as I like to hear that, It’s not about what you want,” Devlin reminds me, crossing his arms. “It’s about whether you’re ready for me. Remember what we talked about.”

  “I think I am—” I start to say.

  “I’ll know when you are. Don’t you worry,” he cuts in, striding across the room to me. “And trust me. The second you are ready, really ready...you’re all mine, babe.” He scoops me up into his arms, planting another searing kiss on my eager mouth. “Now, come on. Don’t want the party to get started without us, do we?”

  I can feel the heat of the raging bonfire before we even step into the clearing once again. It’s hard to believe that it was just last night I laid eyes on this place for the first time. Just twenty-four hours ago, I was surrounded by a pack of skittish girls, another one of the herd. And tonight, I’m strolling up to this gathering at Devlin Vile’s side. Already, my mind is adjusting to the madness of the place. Or is it simply so focused on Devlin that there’s no room left for any fear or uncertainty?

  “There he is,” roars a voice from across the fire. “We were
wondering when you’d show up, Dev.”

  I peer across the clearing and spot a smiling man with sandy blonde hair waving us over. He’s a few inches shorter than Devlin, but broad and imposing all the same. And sitting on his knee is none other than Juliet. She nods meaningfully at the fair-haired giant, mouthing, “This is Packer,” to me. So this is the man my sister’s married, huh? I have to say, she’s done pretty good for herself. He’s almost on Devlin’s level of bad boy sex appeal...almost.

  “What’s happening, brother?” Devlin says to Packer, clapping him on the shoulder.

  “The gang’s all here now,” Packer replies, casting his eyes around the circle. “We’ve got a grill going, burgers and dogs at the ready, plenty of beer...” he trails off as he spots me, halfway hiding behind Devlin’s massive form.

  “You must be our new guest,” he says with a friendly smile.

  “This is Logan,” Devlin says, drawing me forward into the circle. “Logan, Packer.”

  “Jules told me all about our surprise visitor,” Packer nods, staring at me in the firelight. “Nice to meet a member of my old lady’s family, at last.”

  “Nice to meet a member of my family’s...old man?” I reply awkwardly, holding out my hand for him to shake.

  Packer lets out a belly laugh and pulls me into a bear hug instead. “Any family of Jules’ is my family too,” he crows, “Welcome, little sister!”

  Devlin grabs a couple of beers from a nearby cooler and cracks them open for us. I happily accept an icy bottle as Juliet looks on, casting her eyes between me and Devlin.

  “Things are sure to be a little quieter out here tonight,” she tells me, “Well, as quiet as they ever get with these maniacs hanging around.”

  “You’re every bit as much of a maniac as we are,” Packer laughs, slinging an arm across Juliet’s slender shoulders.

  “What I mean is, things get a little out of hand when the civilian girls happen along,” Juliet continues, “No offense, Logan. Packer and I try and stay away when that particular cabal goes down, which is why I wasn’t on hand to intercept you last night. I don’t know what the hell comes over those girls when they land on this rock, but I do know that I want nothing to do with it. But tonight, it’s just the brothers and whatever girls they’ve brought along for the trip. Want to meet everyone?”

  I don’t have a chance to reply before Juliet’s grabbed my wrist and started towing me around the fire to say hello to her chosen family. Devlin trails behind us, making sure the rest of the brothers know that I’ve been spoken for. I can’t say that I mind, either—some of the MC brothers seem a bit rougher around the edges than I can handle on my own.

  “Am I seeing double?” barks a tall, lean man in his late thirties, elbowing a shorter grizzly man in the ribs.

  “If you are, that makes two of us!” laughs his companion as we approach.

  “You’ve got to be twins,” says the first man, looking between me and Juliet with a twisted smile on his face. “I fucking love twins.”

  “This is Leon and Lobo,” Juliet tells me, nodding to the short and taller men, respectively. “They’re our Road Captain and Sergeant at Arms.”

  “What is this, a freaking militia?” I whisper to her.

  “Basically,” she shrugs.

  “Jules told us her sister’d washed up on shore,” the man called Lobo grins.

  “You’re every bit as smoking as she is,” Leon nods sagely.

  “Thanks? I think?” I murmur, as Juliet tugs me along. I hear Devlin whisper a warning for Leon and Lobo to cool it as we retreat. Nice to have some backup, I have to admit. Even if Devlin’s acting out of possessiveness as much as anything.

  “These two are Chip and Dean. They’re our Treasurer and Secretary,” my sister goes on, drawing to a stop before two younger guys. The first looks remarkably like Harry Potter—if Harry Potter dropped out of Hogwarts and joined a biker gang, that is. The second has impeccable posture and short, blonde hair. I recognize him as the man Kari, my red headed school acquaintance, was hanging all over last night.

  “What’s up?” asks Chip, the boy wizard lookalike.

  “Pleased to meet you,” says his crew cut-bearing friend. His oddly formal greeting brings a little grin to my face. I guess the outlaw life really does attract all kinds.

  “That bruiser over there is Brutus,” Juliet says, pointing to the surly, dangerous looking guy manning the grill, “But he’s not one for hello’s.”

  “I get that impression, yeah,” I murmur.

  “Over here we’ve got Xan,” she goes on, dragging me over to a gorgeous, borderline pretty man with long, ash-blonde hair and full magazine model lips. He raises his beer and winks at me, and I spot Devlin shoot him a warning glare.

  I kind of love how protective he’s being of me, even with his own brothers. I guess I inhabit sort of a strange space as a woman hanging around these guys for the first time. My status as Juliet’s sister, a guest of The Club, and a chosen companion of Devlin render me not quite a sweet butt, but certainly not an old lady. I’m not sure if a word exists for what I am to these guys. Maybe, if I’m being honest with myself, that word is simply, “outsider.”

  “This old coot is Otis,” Juliet continues, as we pass the oldest man of the lot.

  “Well aren’t you two a sight,” he crows around a mouthful of burger. “Does an old man’s heart good, seeing the pair of you together. I love me a good set of sisters.”

  Introductions complete, Juliet tows me back around the circle. Packer has gathered a few plates piled high with barbecue, and I realize just how hungry I am.

  “Here you go,” he grins, handing me a loaded plate, “Dig in, girl.”

  “Welcome to the Circle of Death,” Juliet smiles, clinking her beer bottle against mine.

  “But I’m not really...in the circle, am I?” I ask Devlin in a lowered voice.

  “For the week you are,” he says, placing a hand on the small of my back. “So relax, babe. Trust me, we know how to have a good time around here.”

  I settle down with my delicious plate of food, my cold beer, the gorgeous man who’s taken a liking to me, my sister, and her husband. It’s like I’ve stepped into some bizarro version of my life where this kind of thing is the norm. Nothing to do but roll with it, I guess.

  Even without a yacht-load of young pretty girls around, the men of the Circle of Death know how to have a good time. They run through stories of their adventures on the road (both legal and otherwise), hurl insults at each other, knock back beer and whiskey like its water, and crank up the hard rock as the night goes on. A few sweet butts who’ve been brought along for the ride keep the MC members company, shooting me skeptical and downright hostile looks as I sit beside Devlin. If every sweet butt is hoping to become a member’s old lady, my presence next to the crown jewel of the MC must not be very welcome.

  But even if I wanted to be anywhere except right at Devlin’s side, he wouldn’t allow it. If either of us moves an inch, the other follows. It’s like our bodies have been calibrated, synced up with each other. I’ve never experienced anything like it. My thoughts keep drifting back up to Devlin’s bedroom as I wonder how that sense of togetherness would translate in a more...intimate situation. I have to clench my thighs together to contain my throbbing need, just thinking about it.

  Juliet is perched happily on Packer’s lap, unabashedly locking lips with her husband. They can’t keep their hands off each other for a second. As sad as I am to have missed my sister’s wedding, small though it was, I can’t help but be happy for her. There’s a lot we still need to work through, but she’s my sister all the same. She’s found a way to enjoy her life, and a man to share that happiness with. I can tell from the way Packer looks at Juliet just how deeply he loves her. We should all be so lucky to find a guy who looks at us that way.

  But just as that thought occurs to me, I feel Devlin’s gaze swing my way. Raising my eyes to meet his, I’m rendered breathless by the intensity I find there. He
fixes his gaze on my face, and it’s like the rest of the world doesn’t even exist for him. Maybe I have found someone who cares for me the way I deserve. But is it really care and admiration Devlin feels for me, or simply lust?

  As he runs a hand down my back, I have to admit that I don’t much care, either way. Sensation sears down my spine at his touch, radiating out to every last inch of my body. Whether Devlin’s fascination with me is destined to be short-lived or eternal, it doesn’t make a difference tonight. Tonight, I’m only concerned with one thing: proving to Devlin that I’m ready to give in to him, the way he wants me to. He and Juliet have both told me, in their own ways, that I can’t take what he has in store for me. I have to show them, and myself, that I can take it. I want to. But more than that, I need to.

  By midnight, I’m feeling perfectly at home amongst these MC bad boys. Probably I’d be a bit less comfortable if their president wasn’t watching over me, making sure no other men try to snatch me away. I can tell that the rest of Devlin’s brothers are not to be fucked with. Even the most tame-looking among them could do some serious damage if provoked.

  “This is all well and good out here, but I could use some action. Let’s...hit the casino,” Devlin suggests, shouting over the blaring music.

  “Oh,” I reply, intrigued but far more eager to head straight back up to his room. “Yeah. All right. That sounds good.”

  “I need to borrow your sister,” Devlin says to Juliet, whose lips are permanently affixed to Packer’s.

  “What for?” Juliet demands, coming up for air. She sounds more than a little bit suspicious about Devlin’s intentions.

  “Someone needs to blow on my dice,” Devlin answers, grinning as he snakes an arm around my waist.

  Juliet narrows her brown eyes at him. “Mind if Packer and I come along, then?”

  I feel a twinge of annoyance at her trying to derail my departure with Devlin.

  “Before we go, I want to take one more shot with my sister,” I say, grabbing Juliet’s hand and tugging her off Packer’s lap. “Come on, Jules.”