by Eve R. Hart
I paused at the door that I saw him go into. I listened just to make sure that I wasn’t going to interrupt anything. When I was met with a dead silence, I lifted my hand and knocked.
The door flew open with the kind of aggression that I almost expected.
I lost my breath.
Because there he was, standing right in front of me in nothing but a pair of low slung sweatpants.
Yes, I was turned on as my eyes roamed all over his hard, broad chest.
But then I met his eyes and everything suddenly felt cold.
“What are you doing here?” His tone caught me off guard.
I supposed I had worked it up in my head that maybe he would be happy to see me. Even just a little. Only, he looked like he was pissed like I had never seen him before. Not even the first time we met and had traded verbal punches.
“I’m done, Laurel,” he said before I could even get my brain to come up with words to push out of my mouth.
The air froze in my lungs and I felt tears threaten to fill my eyes.
“I can’t do this anymore,” he said in a tone that made me shut my mouth so fast my teeth clinked together. “This isn’t what I want. You… here… like this. No.” The corner of his mouth turned down in a tight frown as he shook his head. “This isn’t working out for me. I think it’s best you go now. Find someone else to take your shit because I’m done.”
“Wait,” I cried out desperately as he started to close the door. But I could see it in his eyes. There was nothing I could say to save this. “Who am I?”
Tears stung my eyes.
His nose flared. His jaw clenched. His eyes stared down into mine so coldly.
“Who am I?” I gritted out.
It was a stupid, silly game. It was. But I needed to remind him of the good times. I needed to hear him say that I was still a queen in his eyes. I was desperate for him to see that I loved everything about him. Even his odd knowledge of history and strange royal affairs.
“The Queen.” That was all he said. I could see it all slipping away.
“And who are you?” I choked out.
My King.
I wanted to hear him say it. Couldn’t he see? That was what he was to me. He was my strength. He was my love.
“Nobody.”
Without another word, he shut the door in my face.
I stood there frozen in utter shock because that was not what I had been expecting. I really didn’t see that coming and I was left so confused. I tried to replay his words to figure out how it had come to this. I felt so dense right now because I couldn’t come up with a single thing to explain what just happened.
He had rejected me. In all honesty, I had been waiting for this moment for a long time.
But what I couldn’t figure out was why. It almost sounded like he was hurt. The look in his eyes was fierce but there was something more behind it. A wounded heart, maybe. Had I really been so blind all this time?
I started to see the night from his eyes. I couldn’t even deny that I might have pushed him there. I had been a… bitch. Cut into his manhood just about every chance I had, though I wasn’t aware of it at the time. Tonight must have been the final straw.
Perhaps, this was where I had hoped it would end. Maybe he thought he wasn’t good enough for me, when in reality, I wasn’t good enough for him. I was broken. Maybe beyond repair. I wasn’t good for myself, let alone anyone else. So what if I thought I was in love with him, maybe my head knew better than to let him get mixed up in the mess that was currently me.
I stumbled down the stairs, knowing it was pointless to try and bang on his door.
Everything was spinning and I wasn’t sure if it was because all the alcohol was catching up to me or if it was the slap of reality I had just gotten. I sat down on the bottom step and it was all I could do to hold back the tears.
I had been so stupid.
Which only proved to myself that I wasn’t good enough for him. If I couldn’t see that everything he had done had been because he really cared about me then I clearly didn’t deserve him.
I opened my clutch and fingered the edge of the note I had written weeks ago. I kept it with me because I thought that one day I might have the courage to tell him everything that I felt. I had hoped the constant reminder would eventually give me the little push that I needed.
The more I sat there and thought about it, the more I realized that we were both a mess. It would have never worked out anyway if we both kept hiding our true feelings like we had been. Still, it hurt to know that he had turned his back on me.
Bryan was that one person that I had come to really count on to be there for me. I supposed that was a crappy thing to say considering my sister and Chris were always calling and checking in on me, in a way.
But there was something about my time with Bryan that felt different. He never looked at me like he expected me to break at any moment. And maybe Chris didn’t do that so much, but there was still a certain air I felt I had to put on when I hung out with him. Maybe that was all my fault too. It could have been that I had been the one to put that idea there. That I had to still seem like I had it all together. That, though life had thrown me a curve ball, I was still walking tall and proud.
Not only hadn’t I given Bryan and me a chance, I hadn’t given anybody one. Maybe I didn’t deserve any of them. Not their friendships. Their kindness. Their concern. Or even, their love.
I walked out to the street. Chris and Cami probably already thought I had stumbled into my Uber and was on my way home. I didn’t bother stopping by the bar to let him know that I hadn’t, in fact, had a ride.
What little pride I had left took over and I told myself that I could walk home. I mean, I lived in the crappy part of town, I had dealt with the thugs and criminals and prostitutes on a daily basis. I was practically one of them. A walk back to the crappy box I called home was nothing.
I hadn’t even made it halfway there before an older model car pulled over, blocking my path. The door shoved open with a force that had my drunken self stumbling back. I turned and tried to run, losing a shoe in the process because the ground was so soft my heels dug in.
Then there was a man I didn’t know, taking me down to the ground. My clutch went flying and it was too dark for me to see where it landed. I couldn’t fight, and even if I somehow had control over my body, I knew any move I would have made would have been futile.
A hand covered my mouth. There was something there that didn’t feel like flesh. I couldn’t breathe and the more air I tried to suck in, the dizzier I felt. Then everything went dark as my body grew cold. I didn’t know how to fight it, so I didn’t even try.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
B-ry
“Hey, Cami,” Chris said the moment she walked into the bar. There was something in his tone that held concern.
I was there helping Chris get the place stocked and ready for the weekend. Did I really have to do that? Well, no. It wasn’t part of my duties to the club. But I liked the guy and I didn’t have anything else going on. I figured I’d give the prospects a little bit of a break too. Not that I should have. It was part of my job to ride them hard and make sure this was something they really wanted. But hey, what could I say? Sometimes I was a nice guy.
“Hey,” she said with that sweet smile that she always gave when she greeted someone. I sent her a chin lift as she turned that smile my way.
While she wasn’t really my type—okay, maybe I didn’t have a type—she was perfect for Brand. And though she’d grown up in the same world that her sister had, she didn’t look down on us for who we were. She was cool as shit and I liked hanging around her.
“Have you heard from your sister?” Chris asked and I did my best to look like I wasn’t listening in, though I was.
I thought about it long and hard. I hadn’t heard from or about Laurel in about a week. Not that I expected for her to call me. Especially after I shut the door in her face basically letting her know in every way possible
that I was done being her shadow boy. But the fact that Chris was asking with a hint of panic in his tone made me perk up.
“Uh, actually no. Not since the night she was here,” Cami answered and I felt a sense of dread fill the air around us.
“I’ve been trying to call her for two days now and she hasn’t called me back. I figured maybe she was busy, but I stopped by Royally Brewed earlier and they said that she hadn’t shown up for her last three shifts. Dale said he hasn’t seen her for maybe a week.”
This was news to me. Why hadn’t he said anything before? Oh, right. Because no one knew about the connection I had to Laurel.
Fuck!
This was bad.
What if something happened to her?
What if my words were just the right thing to push her over the edge?
No, I wouldn’t believe that. Laurel was fragile at times but it would take something a lot bigger than losing me to send her into a deep downward spiral.
Suddenly Cami looked like she was about to crumble. She lowered herself onto one of the stools and I saw that her hands were shaking.
“Oh, no,” she whispered and her eyes appeared to be unfocused. “What if something happened? I haven’t… I’ve been such a crappy sister.”
“No,” Chris said as he laid a comforting hand over hers. “I’ll get someone to watch the bar and I’ll ride over to her place.”
“I got it,” I said half out of my mind right then.
Chris turned his gaze to me, eyes dancing with questions I knew he wasn’t going to ask right now.
“You should stay with her. Call Brand and get him here.” I did my best to distract from the fact that I’d just jumped at the chance to go check for myself. Or that I knew exactly where to check. As far as they knew, I had no idea where she lived. When in reality, I knew all too well.
Chris opened his mouth but I started walking away. Whatever it was, I didn’t have time to deal with it right then.
The same thought I had every time I rode up in front of her apartment building filled my head this time. My feelings on this place hadn’t changed and I knew they never would. This was a shit hole. Even I felt a little unsure as I dismounted my bike and walked into the door on the first floor. It wasn’t bad enough the thought that something had happened to her, but if it had been while she was here, I knew I’d never forgive myself. From the moment I found out she was moving in here I felt the need to get her out. Sure I was a criminal and maybe I didn’t really have the right to say anything, but I hated that she had to deal with drug deals going on every time she walked through the halls to get to her apartment.
But what was I going to do? Demand that she move somewhere more secure? Offer to pay her rent because I knew she couldn’t afford anything better? Yeah, I knew how well that would have gone over.
Her door seemed to be securely shut and there was no sign of a break-in. I was smart enough to know that it didn’t mean anything though. I didn’t even allow myself to breathe a sigh of relief, not just yet. Not until I laid eyes on her and wrapped her up in my arms.
I banged on the door. It didn’t matter where she was in there, she’d hear it. Since this place was made super cheaply, if she was in there I knew I’d hear her moving around. But I was met with silence from the other side of the door. I waited a minute. Banged again. Still nothing.
Feeling like I didn’t have any options left, I pulled out my lock kit. Probably could have just used a credit card with as shitty as the locks were on the place. In no time, the door was swinging wide open. I was greeted with an eerie silence. Even before I stepped over the threshold I knew I wouldn’t find her here.
Fuck!
Nothing looked out of place. There hadn’t been a break-in I assumed. I flipped the light switch to get a better look. Nope. There hadn’t been a scuffle here. She hadn’t been taken from here. If she had been taken at all. I still had no clue. It had to be the most logical thing. Or that she was laid up hurt somewhere. I needed to check the hospitals.
I immediately pulled out my phone and called Cable.
“Yeah, brother,” he answered right away.
“Got a situation,” I said feeling something rise up inside of me. Anger? Fear? Panic? I wasn’t all that sure which one and I didn’t have time to sort it out right now. “Cami’s sister is missing. I’m at her place right now and she’s not here. It looks like nothing has been touched and all her stuff is still here so I’m assuming she didn’t run off. Need you to check things out. Start with the hospitals.”
“Got it. Do I need to tell Iron?”
With a heavy sigh, I pinched the bridge of my nose. Yeah, he needed to be filled in on what was going on but I wanted Cable to get started right now.
“Nah,” I said shaking my head. “I’m headed back. I’ll find him when I get there.”
“The middle one, right? Laurel Benson?”
“Yeah, that’s her.”
I knew Laurel and Cami had an older sister as well as two brothers, but Laurel never talked about them much. Or at all, really. I guess it hurt too much, to know that they had turned their backs on her too.
“Alright. See me when you’re done with Prez.”
He ended the call without another word. I stood there for a long moment in a state of almost shock.
Then I was moving across the room.
I couldn’t tell you why I did it, but not even five minutes later, I was mounting my bike with a bag full of her things. Some clothes. Her shampoo. A few of those hair tie elastic thingies she sometimes used to put up her hair. The soft throw that she curled up under when she was sitting on the couch. At the last second, I remembered to grab the small jewelry box on top of her dresser.
I had an idea that she didn’t think I noticed, but I did.
The days when things would hit her extremely hard, she would flip that thing open and peer inside for a good long moment before closing it again. And a few times, I’d caught her wearing a dainty necklace with a little pearl and diamond pendant. I didn’t know what it meant to her. And maybe I should have by now. But the important thing was that I would keep it safe until I found her.
Seeing that the box was still full of all its sparkly contents was yet another clue that nothing had happened here.
I rode back to the compound, my head a spinning mess. As soon as I walked into the door of the clubhouse too many eyes suddenly turned my way.
Cami’s were sad and red-rimmed from crying. Brand’s gaze was calculating like he was trying to figure out all the answers in his head on his own. Chris and Ky, well they both looked at me as if they had already figured it all out. And maybe they had but I didn’t stop to find out.
“Did you find her?” Cami asked as she shot to her feet.
“No, sorry. But I can tell you that the place looked fine. Nothing went down there. Maybe she just needed to get away for a bit.” I knew it was a stretch but I needed to keep her calm right now.
Before I could say anything else, Iron walked into the room from the back hall. A huge cup of coffee held up in front of his mouth, steam rising up as he took a big gulp.
I winced, because that did not seem like a good idea.
There was no reaction from the Prez as he swallowed the hot liquid down.
“We need words,” he said sternly.
“Yeah,” I replied back though it wasn’t a question.
Iron’s eyes darted around the room taking in everyone that was there.
“Mouse get Cable. Brand, Ky, Fitz, and B-ry, my office. Now.”
“I-Iron, sir,” Cami stuttered out. She was shaking like a leaf and I wasn’t sure if it was because she was scared about her sister missing or addressing Iron. The so-called big, scary Prez looked at her and I shit you not, his eyes softened a little. “She’s my sister,” she pushed out without being prompted.
Iron took in a huge breath then let it out slowly.
“Come on,” he said and turned, heading for the stairs in the back. “You too, Chris.”
&
nbsp; Once we were on the second floor, Iron headed away from his office. He unlocked the door to his apartment and strolled in. He held onto the door until all of us were in and then he walked away, leaving it wide open. It made sense, there were a lot of us and while his office was big, it wasn’t that big. I had a good feeling that emotions were going to be all over the place and it was best not to have us all packed together like a bunch of damn sardines. The silence was deafening as we waited for Cable and Mouse.
“In here,” Iron called out when we heard them nearing the landing to the second floor. “Shut the door.”
Once we all were settled, he started talking again.
“I have a feeling there are some things going on here that not everyone knows about.” He pinned me with a hard stare for half a second. “I need everyone to take a breath and listen. I don’t want shit breaking out here. Now, B-ry, you got something to say?”
I stood up taller and refused to bow my head in shame like I really wanted to. It wasn’t like me to hide things from my brothers. But at the same time, it was my personal life.
And, yeah, maybe I wasn’t really sure what to say about the whole thing and all. It wasn’t like Laurel and I were dating. Not that I would have minded it at all if we were. But something kept telling me that she didn’t want anyone to know, so I did my best to respect that. It was probably more for selfish reasons than anything, because if I told people and she didn’t want that, then I might have lost what little we did have. It seemed I lost it all anyway, in the end.
“I’ve been spending time with Laurel,” I said not really sure how to explain it. Her sister was in the room and I didn’t want her to have to think about the fact that Laurel and I had been sleeping together. Well, fucking was probably more accurate. I also didn’t want to disrespect Laurel, so I kept that part unsaid and figured people could read between the lines.
“What?” Cami asked and Brand placed a firm hand on her shoulder to keep her from saying anything else. Though, the shock was clear on her face. And maybe a little anger.
