I walked up the porch and stood outside the swinging mesh door and peered inside. There was one light switched on somewhere in the house, not bright enough for me to see clearly. The sound of heavy metal emanated and when I stuck my head inside, I got a whiff of the strong sweet-and-sour stench of stale alcohol.
I stepped in, glad that I wasn’t wearing heels today in case I had to run. The floorboards creaked under my sandals and I realized that I was instantly surrounded by smoke. I could sense that Tony was in there, and he was smoking weed.
I knew the layout of the house. Even though I hadn’t stepped inside this place in three years, it was etched terrifyingly in my memory. I was following the sound of the music and figured that Tony was in the living room. Then I heard his voice and I stopped in my tracks. He was cursing loudly. He was drinking, but at least he was alone.
When I reached the doorway of the living room, I saw him sprawled out on his tattered couch. The room was dark except for the TV switched on with porn playing on the screen on mute. Tony’s arm was dangling off the couch and he was cradling a can of beer in his other hand, which he had placed on his belly. He was developing a beer gut which I hadn’t noticed till now. How could he even imagine that Carter would want to live in a filthy place like this? At least when I lived here, and even though I was a young girl myself, I had managed to keep this place reasonably hygienic.
“Tony!” I called out to him, over the thumping music. He hadn’t noticed me yet but at the sound of my voice, he looked up. There was a snarl on his face while he was staring at the screen, and now his eyes glowed. He was grinning.
“Kylie! Didn’t take you long,” he bellowed over the music, then leaned over to turn the volume down on the stereo. It was still loud but at least we could have a conversation now without me losing my voice.
I remained at the doorway, my shoulders quaking with apprehension and fear. He was looking me over again, at my breasts, at the spot between my legs, then back up at my face. He was trying to make me feel like a piece of ass, but I wouldn’t let him.
“Come for a piece of this?” he snarled with a laugh and grabbed his crotch menacingly. I looked away from him, suddenly aware that I had made a bad decision. What was I thinking in assuming that I could simply talk to him? That I would somehow be able to reason with him? But now it was too late, he had seen me and he wasn’t going to let me go till he got what he wanted.
“I came to talk things over with you, Tony, about Carter,” I said and I felt my body shake slightly when I saw him standing up. He was slightly unsteady on his feet as he stumbled over to the crate of beer and picked up another can, crushing the older one in his hand which he discarded directly on the floor.
“You love talking don’t you babe? You’ve always loved talking. But you know what? I don’t give a fuck about your feelings” he growled at me, popping the can open and pouring the beer down his throat in one quick motion.
I gulped as I watched him. I had made a horrible mistake. I should have just stayed at Hunter’s apartment, or at least told him where I was going. I felt my pulse quicken as I quickly looked around for a way out.
“Okay, I’ll go then,” I said and I turned my body to face the door.
With one quick movement, Tony had his arm around my neck and he yanked me back into the living room as I screeched, my screams drowning under the sound of the heavy music.
His mouth was at my ear, his arm was holding me in place while I tried to claw at him.
“You’re going nowhere you little bitch,” he snarled into my ear and I could feel tears welling up in my eyes. I thought I was going to get away. I thought I’d be able to make my escape.
Tony dragged me back into the room, keeping his arm tightly on my neck, while he dragged the warm can of beer up and down my arm. He was sleazy, creepy in his touch and I could sense what he wanted. I was shuddering in his grip, trying to hold back the tears.
“Tony…please…Carter can’t live here. You have to understand that,” I tried reasoning with him and he only tightened his arm around my neck.
“Shut the fuck up!” he barked and I could feel my windpipe slowly crushing. It was getting harder for me to breathe with every passing second. I tried desperately to scratch his arm to free it from my neck, but it was useless.
“Tony…he needs his mother. You can’t take care of him the way I do,” I pleaded with him and he finally released his grip on my throat. I nearly toppled to the ground, coughing to cover up the feeling of choking. I stepped unsteadily away from him, as he emptied the beer down his throat. Then he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and went for another one.
I was watching him with narrowed eyes. I was afraid of him, afraid of what more he could do to me, but I wasn’t going to run away from him either. I’d had enough of being frightened by him. I watched his movements and could tell that he was getting more intoxicated by the minute. My only chance to get out of here would be for him to pass out. If I could just hold on for that long.
“He needs his father you bitch! You have no idea what you’re talking about! He’s my son!” he yelled and thumped his fist on his chest. I watched him, with more tears welling up in my eyes. Nobody knew this more than I did; that my son was also this monster’s.
“But he can’t live this life,” I said, trying to keep my head up.
“This is the best life he can have. He will be a man. He will know what power is!” Tony continued to howl and my nostrils flared. I could feel my blood boiling under my skin.
“You are nothing but a monster. A coward. Taking your weakness out on women and children and young girls. You are nothing!” I spat out.
Tony’s punch came out of nowhere. I didn’t even realize that he was standing so close to me. I’d taken these punches before, throughout my pregnancy when each time I thought I had lost my baby. This time, his knuckles hit my left jaw and my face snapped in the other direction. I could already taste the metallic flavor of blood in my mouth. This one was going to leave a bruise, almost as bad as the ones before. I fell onto my knees on the floor.
Tony drank some more of his beer, tried to steady himself on his feet again and glared at me from under his heavy beer-fueled lids. His shoulders were heaving, his beer gut was stretching his cotton t-shirt. I knew I was going to be sick, or severely injured. But I couldn’t run, not yet. He could catch me the second that I tried.
“Carter deserves better than to watch his mother being beaten up by his loser father,” I snarled and Tony came up to me again. I cowered and he grabbed me by my hair, bunching up my curls as he yanked my head backwards, glaring into my eyes.
“He will learn that’s what you deserve. That his mother is nothing better than a tight pussy. This is what you need to stay under my control you little bitch. You need to be put in place. I should have locked you up here a long time ago. Before you could run off with my son!” Tony hissed and pushed my body hard. I toppled backwards, my body crashing against the wall. I felt the wind rush out of my chest and a sharp pain in my side. I felt like I was going to stop breathing, like I was going to be swallowed up by the ground. But right then, I could think of nothing but Carter.
“Stay away from my son!” I snarled, with whatever energy I had left in me. Tony cracked open another can of beer, poured it down his throat and then threw it up in the air. The liquid fizzled out of the can, spewing all over the floor. I could see that he was growing unsteadied on his feet by the minute.
“What are you going to do about it bitch? Me and my men are coming for him and nobody can stop us. Say your goodbyes,” he growled, but I could sense that his voice was becoming softer, his eyes was growing foggier. I glared at him, in the hopes that he would finally just pass out.
And he did. Tony ran his hands over his face, swaying on his feet as he tried to keep his balance. Then I watched in relief and shock as he swung to the ground, his big body crashing on the floor and he was out-cold within seconds. The sound of his howling snore filled the room, over
whelming even the music from the stereo.
I blinked, still in shock as I stared at his unconscious body.
Then the taste of the blood in my mouth reminded me of what I had to do. I had to get away from there.
I ran and didn’t look back.
Out of the house, the cool sea breeze brushed against my sweaty face as I hurried into my car.
In the rearview mirror, I looked at myself, conscious of not wanting to scare Carter but it was too late. My hair was in a tangle, my eyeliner was streaming in dark puddles down my cheeks, my pink lipstick was smudged terrifyingly around my mouth and a dark purple bruise was taking shape on the side of my jaw.
The center of my bottom lip was cut and that was where the blood was coming from. My throat was dry and I gulped nonetheless as I started my car. With a screech, I drove away as fast as I could. I never wanted to return. I never wanted to see that monster again. If it hadn’t been for the beer he was drinking, if he hadn’t passed out…I couldn’t be sure that he wouldn’t have just killed me to get to Carter. How could I have ever been with this man?!
I drove towards Hunter’s apartment, desperate to see Carter again, and I realized that I was desperate to see Hunter again too. He would know what had happened. There was no point in hiding it anymore. I had no sympathy for Tony left. I was determined to allow Hunter to do whatever he wanted to him.
The tears had stopped pouring down my cheeks by now. I could still feel a throbbing ache on the side of my face and neck, a burning sensation on my lip where it had split open…but my brows were crossed, my nostrils were flared, there was rage pouring down my eyes. I wasn’t afraid anymore. I wanted Tony to pay.
I wanted to make sure that he never got a chance to do this to me again, and that he or his friends never got a chance to come near Carter. And the only person who could help me, the only person I trusted; was Hunter.
CHAPTER 19
Hunter
Carter was asleep on my lap and I was still watching the cartoons when I heard the knock on the door. Kylie had been gone for close to two hours now and I was getting worried.
As gently as I could, I lifted Carter off my lap and placed him down on the couch where he curled up in the corner and continued to sleep. Then I walked over to the door and held it open. Kylie squeezed past me, keeping her head down and her eyes averted and instantly, I knew something was wrong.
She walked past Carter sleeping on the couch and darted straight towards the rooms inside. I locked the front door and then followed her in. She had walked into my bedroom, without a word or question and when I switched the light on, I saw her face and my blood boiled.
“What the F…” I growled, but she cut me off.
“Is Carter asleep?” she asked, in a soft voice, her green eyes watery. I could see the light bruising on her neck and the purplish-red scar on her left jaw. Her lip had split open as well and there was dried blood on it now. Her makeup was smudged and her hair was in a tangle.
“Yes,” I hissed, clenching my fists on my sides.
Kylie then lifted her head up, for me to look at her face more clearly.
“Who did this?” I said, in a low guttural growl…even though I knew very well who it was. Kylie gulped, holding my gaze, and I could see that her eyes were sparkling with rage. I wasn’t going to take no for an answer this time. She was going to have to tell me his name.
“I went to see my ex,” she said, in a clear strong voice and I growled and turned and punched the door behind me. I felt the skin on my knuckles bruise, but the pain was fuel. I wanted to punch something else. I wanted to break a chair on this guy’s head. I wanted him dead.
“Why didn’t you tell me!” I said tightly.
Kylie fell into my arms and I wrapped my arms around her, stroking her hair, feeling her body for more bruises and aches.
“I wanted to handle it on my own, Hunter, I’m sorry,” she sobbed and I could feel her tears dampening my t-shirt.
“Don’t apologize to me. Tell me his name,” I said and hooking a finger under her chin, I lifted her face up towards me.
“Does it hurt?” I asked and gently touched the bruise on her jaw. Kylie pressed her eyes close and winced and I had to clench my jaw to stop myself from screaming.
“I’ll be fine. He hasn’t broken anything. I just need an ice pack or something,” she said and tried to wipe the tears from her eyes.
“Kylie…tell me his name. I want to take care of this. I know what these assholes are like,” I said in a softer voice and Kylie took in a deep breath and then wriggled out of my arms.
“Tony, that’s his name,” she said and we stared at each other. The name wasn’t ringing a bell, but I was going to find out. Tony from Dragon Knights wouldn’t have anywhere to fucking hide now.
She must have seen the confusion in my eyes, because she cleared her throat and spoke again.
“He goes by the name Scar. That’s what his stupid friends call him or something,” she said and I took in a deep breath. I knew Scar. He was a low-grade loser, ranking way down in the chain of command.
“Yeah, I know Scar,” I said and Kylie’s eyes sparkled when she met mine.
“What do you know about him?” she asked and I cracked my knuckles, already imagining punching his head in.
“That he likes to slap girls around and that he was involved in the prostitution ring, like a bell boy you know, doing odd jobs,” I said with a snarl and Kylie licked her lips nervously.
“What are you going to do?” she asked me and I ran a hand through my hair.
“I’m going to make sure that he can’t walk for the rest of his life. That he gets nowhere close to you or Carter again,” I growled and she stepped quickly towards me.
Kylie placed her small delicate hands on my arms and I felt a shock run down my spine. I grabbed her by her waist and pulled her close to me, covering her face with kisses. She tightened her grip on my biceps as I kissed her and then with my hand, I stroked her curls away from her forehead, clearing up her face.
She was looking up at me now, with her bright green eyes and I saw the bruise clearly, the split in her lip where there must have been blood gushing out.
“You shouldn’t have gone there on your own Kylie, you should have told me his name before. I can take care of him,” I said and she suppressed a cry.
“I needed Carter to be safe. Leaving him here with you was the best I could come up with,” she said and I stroked her hair affectionately.
“He’s safe here, you’re safe here…but I should have gone, you should have stayed,” I said and then I leaned closer to her, taking her lips and tongue into my mouth. Our breaths sizzled as we kissed. I’d wanted her all day. I’d wanted her body, I’d wanted her mouth on my cock…and now, everything had changed. This wasn’t just about the sex, I wanted to make sure that nobody could hurt her. That nobody except me would ever touch her.
“I need to go and take care of this, Kylie. Right now,” I said and ran a hand through my hair. My body was already itching for a fight. I needed to make sure that Scar was taken care of.
“What are you going to do?” she asked me again, licking her lips as she stared with wide eyes at me. I clenched my jaw and tried to tell her the truth in the gentlest possible way that I could.
“I’m going to take care of him myself,” I said and she was already shaking her head.
“No, Hunter, you can’t do this yourself. Scar has friends, he has the support of his entire MC. You can’t go in there by yourself,” she said and I ran a hand through my hair again in frustration.
Arrrrghhh! I growled and turned from her and before I could take my fist to the wall, she had put her hands on my arms to calm me down.
“You’re only hurting yourself, Hunter. Please don’t do that anymore,” she said, in a gentle voice that had an immediate effect on me. She was right, I needed to conserve my energy for the fight later. The one where Scar wasn’t going to get out alive.
“Okay, I won’t,” I said a
nd Kylie peered into my eyes.
“And promise me that you won’t go over there alone,” she insisted and I nodded my head. Since when did I start making promises to a woman?
“You and Carter should stay here. I’m going to ask one of my friends to come over and stand guard at the door,” I said and Kylie gulped, then shook her head.
“You don’t have to,” she said.
“Yes, I do,” I told her. “If we’re taking Scar down tonight, his pals might retaliate by trying to harm you and Carter. I want to make sure that doesn’t happen,” I said and I started walking out of the bedroom. Kylie was following me.
“Are you leaving now? It’s late!” she said, her loud voice thankfully muffled by the cartoon sounds. I whipped around to her and she must have seen the rage in my eyes because she stopped in her tracks like she had seen a ghost.
“I have to go now, but you should try and sleep. Take a bath, just try and relax. I’ll be back soon but not before that asshole has a few broken bones,” I said and then reached out and touched the side of her face. Kylie closed her eyes, like she was trying to memorize my touch for later.
Then I watched as she went over and lifted Carter up in her arms and walked with him to my bedroom. Suddenly, it felt like she had always lived here in my apartment.
***
Gunner’s phone rang twice before he finally answered the call. I could hear the drunken sounds and music of the Rusty Pelican in the background.
“Hey brother!” Gunner’s voice was high pitched, like it usually got when he’d been drinking.
“I need you to bring the boys, I have something to take care of,” I barked into the phone.
“What’s going on?” Gunner asked. I had already walked out of my apartment and to my parked bike outside, and now I stood beside it, talking to Gunner on the phone.
“I need to take care of Scar,” I said.
“Scar? That dimwit from the Dragon Knights?” Gunner asked with a laugh in his voice.
Protected by the Biker (Grim Reaper MC) Page 63
