by Stacey Lynn
“You love me.” She smiled, satisfied.
“You have to,” Olivia whispered, wide-eyed. “I mean…it’s Finn…and even I get all crazy lusty around him. Please,” she pleaded, her eyes teasing and her hands clasped together in prayer. “For the love of all American women who crave a man with a sexy accent, you have to sleep with him and let me know what it’s like.”
“Okay.”
She jerked back. “Seriously?”
“No!” I scowled and shook my head. “I’m not sleeping with the man just because you want me to. Are you insane?”
“I think she might be,” Jules chimed in, grinning. “She’s just back from her honeymoon and already thinking about another man. What would Daemon think?”
“Trust me,” Olivia declared, her lips pinched together. “Daemon is all the man I need. But come on…this is Finn we’re talking about.”
Jules considered this all while Faith kept smiling.
I started looking for the closest exit.
Faith’s friends were insane.
Eventually, Jules turned to me. “She has a point. And if I learned anything when I was going through my crap last fall, it’s that sometimes…a distraction helps.”
“Well, he hates me. He’s angry all the time and he’s either ignoring me or glaring at me, so it’s not going to happen.”
“It’s funny,” Faith said. Her words were nonchalant, her tone anything but. It reeked of mischievous planning. “I’ve never seen Finn so worked up before. He’s usually so laid back.”
I swallowed the rest of my warm beer and cringed, trying to chug it all down. They were giving me a headache.
“So glad I bring out the best in him,” I muttered and looked away.
And that was a mistake. It put Finn directly in my line of sight and I gulped. Even with him sitting down, hunched over the bar, and only the back of him visible to me, I still felt something go all warm and liquid inside me.
“I’m going to go check on the kids,” I said, ignoring Faith’s laughter and Olivia’s eyes, happily narrowed in my direction.
“I’ll come with,” Jules said and clasped onto my elbow. “She’s harmless, you know.”
I assumed she was talking about Olivia and I didn’t argue with her.
“But they all do have a point.”
“What?” I asked and my feet stopped moving. Unfortunately, Jules kept walking and she yanked me forward.
When we reached the corner of a hallway and the music dropped just below ear-piercing levels, Jules turned around and faced me.
Her head tilted to the side. “Do you know much about my story?”
I shook my head. I knew she’d been stalked by an ex-boyfriend and that Sophie wasn’t Jaden’s kid, but that was about it.
She sighed, puffing out her cheeks when she exhaled. “Jaden isn’t Sophie’s dad. He’s actually her uncle.” At my confused expression, she continued. “Sophie’s dad, Scratch, and I used to date and were in love. He was it for me. Forever. But then he died. Everything sort of fell apart after that. The club hated me, Jaden blamed me. Everyone turned their backs on me, and my parents thought it’d be better for me if I got out of town and raised Sophie away from the club. At the time, no one knew about her, so I agreed with them.”
My eyes must have been growing wider with every sentence she spoke, because she held onto my forearm and rubbed in a soothing gesture.
“Anyway, then I came back when Olivia and Faith had their crap going on. Jaden hated me, and he was always an angry guy anyway but when I say ‘hate’,” she leaned in and her voice lowered, “I mean hate.”
My head felt like someone had slapped it into a plastic toy top and flicked it with their fingers, spinning it across a table.
“I don’t understand,” I finally said.
“My guess?”
I didn’t know what we were guessing about.
Jules grinned knowingly. “Something about you brings up something in Finn. He’s always been quiet, and no one in the club knows much about his past in Australia or before he showed up here. Olivia knows some stuff, but she won’t spill it. I’m guessing you, your problems, or Brayden, are making him deal with shit that he’d rather not deal with and that is why he’s angry all the time. That...and the fact that he looks at you like he wants to eat you up.”
I choked on the last part and Jules laughed. When she did, she threw her head back, and her blond hair went flying out behind her.
I might be blond, but Jules had these natural highlights I would kill for.
“That still doesn’t mean I should sleep with him.” I crossed my arms over my chest.
“Oh, I know.” Jules shrugged, and we started moving toward the door. “I’m just saying that someday he’s going to go after what he wants, consequences be damned. When he does, you’re going to have a hard time saying no, even if you should.”
She sounded like she spoke from experience. I had met Jaden, and he still seemed angry and scary and all scowls and glares all the time. His voice sounded like he was set on constant growl-mode. If he’d mellowed out since being with Jules, I would have hated to see what he was like before.
With my head still spinning, I tried to shake off her implied threat regarding Finn.
Fortunately, Brayden and Sophie provided the perfect distraction as Jules and I spent some time in the room with them while one of the prospects, Johnny, played babysitter.
His sour expression told us exactly what he thought of missing out on the party, but he was keeping the kids alive so it was all I cared about.
As we left the room, tucking Sophie and Brayden into bed much later than at least Brayden’s normal bedtime, Johnny gave us a silent nod.
“He seems pleasant,” I whispered when Jules closed the door behind me.
Jules laughed. “He and his twin, Jimmy, are really sweet actually, but would you want to be twenty-two and stuck watching kids instead of drinking?”
“No,” I admitted and looked back at the door to Jules and Jaden’s clubroom. “Do all members have rooms here?”
She nodded and pulled me back toward the party. “Yep. We also have a couple extra rooms that stay empty for when guys from other charters swing through town. That’s probably where they’ll put you and Brayden.”
My eyebrows pulled in. “Huh?”
She smirked. “If Finn wants you at the club, you’ll be at the club.”
All the quietness that had invaded my mind in the room with Brayden disappeared.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t given a chance to correct her when she kept walking away, laughing.
My phone chimed in my back pocket and it distracted me from chasing her down, reiterating the fact that I wouldn’t be sleeping with Finn, nor would I let him boss me. I would move to the club because I wanted to, because it was safer—not because Finn said so.
Figuring it was Pete checking in to see how I was doing, as he’d done every day since we’d left town, I had my defenses down when I checked the main screen on my phone.
Blood drained from my face.
I reread the sentence over and over again, hoping it’d become something different.
My eyes had to be playing tricks on me.
I blinked rapidly and my phone shook in my trembling fingers when I reopened my eyes.
Vomit bubbled in my stomach and tears burned the backs of my eyes.
I needed air.
I had known he’d find me.
7 Finn
“You got a problem with what I’m asking you to do?”
I glared at Diego, a.k.a. foster-fuck. He knew I wouldn’t argue. One wrong step from me and I’d be kicked out, leaving Piper to fend for herself.
“No, sir,” I bit out, my sixteen-year-old body now large enough to face him eye to eye.
“Got a lot of money riding on you tonight.”
The reminder was unnecessary, but I still scowled at him. If I was fighting tonight, that meant he had other plans for Piper. It was the standard deal on We
dnesday nights when his wife spent hours at a Bible study.
He claimed he took us out to dinner and to a movie.
Instead, I was kicking men’s asses in an underground fighting ring until I bashed their skulls against the cement floor.
And Piper was either helping him deal drugs outside the same club, or…
I shook my head.
Ever since Piper and I had begun hanging out in secret, falling in love despite the fact that we didn’t know what love actually was, and screwing like rabbits whenever we could, foster-fuck had wanted her more.
She was only fourteen, but he didn’t give a shit.
It made me an ass, too, but she claimed it made things better.
And I’d give anything to make life better for Piper.
It was sick. Twisted.
Vile.
But I knew I’d be there for her tonight, too. She would bandage what little wounds I received from men ten years older and thirty pounds heavier than me.
And I’d screw her until she could only feel the touch of a guy she wanted, not the unwanted ones.
No one understood the hell we lived in.
“I got it,” I finally said, my hands balled into fists at my sides.
Diego noticed and licked his lips. “Make me proud, son.”
Fuck him. I wasn’t his son. But since my own dad was in prison and my mom had overdosed years ago, I didn’t have anyone to claim me.
Diego and Elaina had taken me in when I was eight and an angry messed up pile of shit. For the first few years everything had seemed fine, except for having to do more chores than anyone else I knew while I was in primary school.
But then I turned fourteen and Piper showed up, twelve years old, scared out of her fucking mind, and crying all the time.
Everything changed.
Diego changed.
Or I just realized how sick he was.
I spun on my heels and went straight to Piper’s room.
She sat on the edge of her bed, shoulders hunched forward. Her long blond hair shielded her face.
“Hey,” I said and closed the door behind me.
She looked me straight in the eye, and I saw the dried tears on her cheeks and her red-rimmed eyes.
I immediately sat down next to her and pulled her to me.
“Let’s get out here, Pipe.”
She shook her head against my shoulder. “It’d only be worse on the streets. At least with Diego—”
“Don’t,” I snapped and cut her off. “Don’t you dare say anything good about that sick fuck.”
“I know.” She swallowed, making a small choking sound. “He’s taking me to Paulie tonight, though, and it’s not always that bad.”
Not that bad. I closed my eyes and saw bright flashes of red. Paulie was in his forties and overweight and missing teeth. He also liked it kinky.
I always stopped my imagination from going further than that, but I’d soothed Piper after their visits and rubbed aloe into the red lashes across her butt cheeks.
“Please,” I begged and held her close. “Let’s just get the fuck out of here. I’ll take care of you, I swear it.”
She shook her head again and my hand on her shoulder tightened. I never understood why she wanted to stay.
But she knew I wouldn’t leave without her.
“We’re too young, Finn. What would we do for money?”
“Fights. You know I can win.”
“If we leave, Diego will have you blackballed.”
I growled. I didn’t want to owe that piece of shit anything. “I’ll find my own damn fights, Piper. And I swear I’ll take care of you. You’ll never have to do this shit ever again.” I dropped to my knees in front of her, my hands pushed through her hair so I could see her clearly. I loved her. It was a sick, dirty, twisted kind of love, but it was all we knew. It was all we had and I didn’t want to let it go. “Please, Piper. Leave with me.”
She hesitated, and I almost had hope.
“Not yet,” she finally muttered. “Someday, but not yet.”
Someday, we wouldn’t have a chance.
Someday, Diego, the wealthy and respected man in Sydney would ruin us beyond recognition.
Someday, I was going to kill that asshole.
* * *
I grabbed the whiskey bottle from the bar and pushed through the club until I hit the outside air.
Music thumped inside even after the door was closed, and I wandered aimlessly through the parking lot until I was straddling the bike.
Sweat lined my forehead and dripped down my spine.
I could never shake the memories.
Never run far enough away from the guy I used to be. The man I was built to be.
Hiding it sometimes made things worse. Like I was coiled too tight and someday I’d snap, showing everyone who knew me now what a twisted sick fuck I could really be.
I chugged the whiskey, relishing the burn as it slid down my throat.
It was nights like these—when the memories returned clearer than normal—that I loved being on my bike. The cold air biting my cheeks and the vibrations under me and in my hands gave me something to focus on.
Gave me something to clear my head.
Whiskey only went so far. And tonight wasn’t a night whiskey would work.
Tonight was “family party” night, which meant the music was quieter than normal and the club whores that came around weren’t allowed entrance.
It allowed the cheating men to be with their wives without the women getting suspicious.
I loved my brothers, but I hated that shit. I grew up with it. Saw how that kind of deceit slithered into innocent people’s souls and slowly destroyed them.
But family nights meant kids running and screaming and laughing.
It meant hugs and kisses between the men and their old ladies.
It meant the music wasn’t loud enough to drown out and smother the thoughts in my head.
Tonight, I needed them fucking smothered to smithereens.
The whiskey bottle was halfway drained when I saw the door to the club open. I had no idea how long I’d been on my bike alone, drinking whiskey and acting like a pussy, but my back immediately straightened when I heard the music filter through the door and Meg closed it behind her.
Silence filled the air and I watched her.
Her shoulders hunched forward and she slid something into her back pocket.
I flung my leg over my bike before I could think about stopping.
The whiskey was making me stupid.
And horny.
It wasn’t a good combination.
“Hey,” I drawled as I walked toward Meg. “What you are doing out here?”
Her head snapped up and she brushed a chunk of hair behind her ear.
She glanced back at the door before turning to me, her bottom lip sucked between her teeth.
I wanted to bite it.
“Nothing,” she finally said and turned away. “Just needed some air.”
Her voice was shaky. She was lying.
I could spot it from a mile away, and even with only a few streetlights lighting the parking lot and edges of the club, I could see her eyes darting around, avoiding my gaze and nervously flickering anywhere but to me.
My teeth pressed together. For some inexplicable reason, I didn’t like the avoidance. “What happened?”
Her head snapped to mine again and her eyes widened. “Nothing.”
I took a step forward and then two. Meg backed up, and I watched her lips part as she inhaled a gasp.
My dick twitched at the sound.
Shit.
“You’re lying,” I said, dropping my head and taking another step forward. The move forced her back against the wall of the clubhouse and inches separated us. “I can tell.”
She blinked and her eyes dropped to my mouth before she quickly glanced back up at my forehead—not my eyes, she still avoided them.
“Fine,” she huffed. Her hand pressed behind her, she s
hifted her hips toward me, trying to find space so she could reach into her back pocket.
I grinned when she let out an annoyed sigh.
“You could move back and give me some space.”
“Yup.” I could. I didn’t.
I liked the flush that was growing on her cheeks when I smiled at her.
“Ugh.” She rolled her eyes and then grabbed something behind her back and held it out to me. “I got a text a few minutes ago.”
My eyebrows knitted together and I looked down. “From who?”
“Who do you think?”
Shit.
“You tell Ryker?” I slid the phone from her hand. “What’s your code?” I asked, not giving her time to answer.
“No and zero-four-two-eight.”
I looked up and tilted my head.
“Brayden’s birthday,” she whispered as my fingers punched in the numbers.
I figured. Chicks always used their loved ones’ birthdays as their passwords. Idiots. Made it easier for Xbox to hack people’s shit, though. Our master computer guru could probably break into the NSA if we let him.
I gritted my teeth together when I saw the last text she received.
Hope you took warm clothes. It’s colder where you are.
“Fuck…” I drawled, making the word three syllables instead of one. My eyes rose to Meg’s.
She blinked, glanced at the phone, and looked away.
“Where’s the kid?”
“Sleeping in a room with Sophie. Johnny was watching them.”
“We need to tell Ryker and Daemon,” I said, not wanting to—but damn it, the fucker knew where she was.
She shook her head, holding up her hands, palms out. “No.”
I jerked back. “Meg.”
She gave another headshake. “I don’t want to, not tonight. It’s a party and Daemon just got back.”
I frowned. This didn’t sound like the mom who was so fucking worried about her kid’s safety or her own life that she high-tailed it across the country looking for help and a safe place to fall.
Her hands ran through her blond hair and she tugged at it before dropping them to her side. “It’s all I think about, all the time. I wanted one night not to think, to pretend this isn’t happening. I just…” She shook her head again, as if she didn’t understand her own words, and her eyes glazed over.
