“Fine,” I say shortly. “What’s up?”
“I heard something about you…”
“And?”
“I heard that you were seen out with Dex,” he says, a muscle ticking in his jaw.
“And?” I repeat.
“And? What the fuck are you thinking?” he snaps, shaking his head at me.
I still. “Well this is awkward. I had no idea you had a say over who I do and don’t see. Oh, that’s right. You don’t, so mind your own business Eric.”
“He’s not a good guy,” he warns, his dark eyes pleading with me to listen.
“And you are?” I ask, eyes flaring.
He flinches slightly but doesn’t back down. He still doesn’t know that Dex and I slept together, but he’s still acting crazy over this. The question is, why?
“What’s the big deal?” I ask curiously, trying to act casual. “It’s just Dex.”
Eric rolls his eyes, not a good look for a man. “He’s a fucking criminal Faye. He’s dangerous.”
Now it’s my turn to roll my eyes. “He’s your brother. He’s never done anything to hurt us.”
Eric grits his teeth. I grin. “You’re just jealous of him aren’t you?” I surmise.
His eyes narrow. “Have you heard of the Wind Dragons?”
I scoff. “Of course I have, who hasn’t?”
The Wind Dragons MC were a notorious motorcycle club. I’d heard nothing good about their members, who apparently take drugs and have sex for a living. They live their life a certain way and make no apologies about it. I’d never actually interacted with a member, so I don’t know the truth of it all, just what I’d heard from others in passing.
Eric has a smug look on his face. I don’t like it. “Dex is the vice president.”
I freeze. “Bullshit.”
Then I remember the tattoo on his back.
The deadly dragon.
I could see Dex in an MC. He has this predator vibe about him.
He’s hot-blooded.
In fact, if I didn’t know him, I would probably steer clear of him altogether. He’s the ultimate bad boy. But he’s also my Dex, the boy I grew up around.
“How come you never mentioned this before?” I ask him, staring at him in suspicion.
Something crosses his face. Something I don’t like. He’s not telling me something.
“I never thought you’d be stupid enough to get mixed up with him and his stupid group of friends,” he says. “Just wait until your mother hears about it, she’s going to kill you.”
That’s the complete truth. My mother is narrow-minded and judgmental about anyone who doesn’t have a university degree. My father just agrees with whatever she says and never has his own opinion. I will never marry a weak man like my father.
“I know he was dating that girl. What’s her name?” he continues, oblivious to my inner dialogue.
“Who knows,” I reply, only caring that he was dating someone, and not is.
“Don’t you want to know who your competition is?” he asks, raising an eyebrow.
“No, what I want is this conversation to be over.”
“You know what, after one night with you he will be done. Don’t come crying to me when you end up heartbroken,” he sneers, turning away from me.
“Well I survived it once, I’m sure I will survive it again,” I reply, unable to keep the bite out of my tone.
“I made a mistake,” he replies, sighing with regret.
“I hope she was worth it,” I find myself saying. Why keep talking about it? No snide comments or words of regret and pain are going to change anything. What’s done is done. It can’t be reversed. All I can do is move on and let time heal the pain.
“She wasn’t,” he admits, looking down at his hands.
I look down. “I have to go, okay?”
“Just remember what I said about him.”
“Fine, warning noted,” I say, sliding into my car. Eric walks off, and I drive my ass home.
*****
Five weeks later
Dr. Reeves walks in, sitting down in his chair. He’s a kind man in his fifties and has been my doctor for a few years now. I’m pretty sure he keeps his lollipop jar stocked just for when I have an appointment.
“I need drugs, doc,” I tell him. “And lots of them.”
He doesn’t smile at my antics like he usually does. “You’re pregnant, Faye.”
I blink slowly. “I don’t think so.”
Now he fights a smile. “This test says you’re definitely pregnant.”
I look around the room, hoping for someone to jump out and tell me that this is a prank. “I don’t understand.”
His lip twitches. “When’s the last time you had sex? And when was your last period?”
“I have never had sex without a condom,” I blurt out, wringing my hands.
“Faye…”
“I guess, about six weeks ago.”
With a criminal.
“Condoms aren’t a hundred percent you know,” he reminds me calmly. My mind flashes to a certain episode of Friends, and I suddenly feel like yelling out that they should put that on the outside of the box.
“You remember what happened when I went on the pill,” I tell him. I tried it for a month, and it didn’t agree with me. I put on weight and felt like shit. Dr. Reeves said we could try another one, but I just said I would use condoms. Eric and I always used one, even though he tried to talk his way out of it a few times with the infamous ‘I promise I’ll pull out’ line.
Yeah—not a chance in hell.
“I wasn’t criticizing you, Faye, but you are pregnant,” he says kindly, pulling out some brochures from his drawer.
“I see,” I say, staring into empty space.
And I did see.
I saw my career and my life plans crashing. Evaporating. Vanishing.
Disappearing right before my eyes.
“You have options,” he says, sliding the brochures to me. But I don’t. I don’t have options, and my life is over. My parents will kick me out, my education is going to take a backseat to changing nappies, and the baby’s father is an outlaw biker. This kid doesn’t stand a chance. I’m pro-choice, but I could never have an abortion. That’s just not me. I stand up, the sound of the chair scratching on the floor filling the silent room.
“I’m keeping it,” I announce. Everyone else be damned.
Doc has a talk with me, gives me a book to read up on, and tells me to get some folic acid and other things. I leave the doctor’s in a daze.
A plan starts to form in my head.
First of all, I need to save money.
Then me and my baby are out of here.
*****
I’m four months pregnant when I start to show. And that’s when everything goes to hell. My parents find out and tell me to leave. No second chance. No discussion. My mother just tells me to be gone by the end of the day. My father looks sad but doesn’t dare go against her wishes. They should have never had a child. I’m going to make sure I’m a way better mother than she ever was. How predictable of them. I always knew they would cut me out of their lives the moment they found out. I pack up my belongings, ready to leave. Luckily I have been saving every cent during the last few months, preparing for this moment. I even cashed in some of my gold and sold everything I could, even my PS4. I don’t need all those things. What I need is a plan for the future.
Just as I throw the last bag into my car, Eric pulls up in his obnoxious car. Not someone I want to see right now. Maybe even the last person on the face of this earth, but such is my life.
“Where are you going?” he asks as he storms up to me. He frowns when he sees all my stuff in the back of my car.
“Taking a little holiday,” I say in a tone that lets him know I’m not in the mood for his shit.
He grabs my arm. “What the hell is going on?”
I lose it. Months of hiding, stressing, and crying all burst out of me. “I’m pregnant, and I h
ave nowhere to go so I’m leaving town. Now get the fuck out of my way!”
He stands there, frozen, his mouth open in shock. “You were going to leave town without telling me about my baby?”
I can’t help it. I laugh. It’s more nervous laughter than anything else. I probably sound psychotic.
Eric and I hadn’t had sex in a month when I slept with Dex. There is no way the baby is his.
“Baby isn’t yours Eric, don’t worry about it,” I say, pulling out of his hold.
“The fuck?” he growls, his face going red in anger. “Who did you sleep with?”
Typical male. Of course that would be all he cares about.
“Too many to count,” I reply, opening the door. I still and turn to him. “I guess I’ll see you around.”
Or not.
“You don’t have to leave,” he says, still looking confused and hurt.
The pain radiating from him makes me hurt too.
“There’s nothing left for me here anymore Eric,” I say softly, letting him look into my eyes and see the truth.
We are over. There’s no going back now.
“Faye…” he whispers, his voice cracking. He sees it. He knows it. It’s done with.
I smile sadly. “I guess it just wasn’t meant to be.”
He runs his hand through his hair. “We can say it’s mine.”
My eyes flare in surprise. I didn’t see this one coming. I actually consider it for a moment, but then I see him with that other woman.
It would all be pretend.
Fake.
And I don’t want to live a lie. “Eric, thanks for the offer, but that isn’t going to work. Take care of yourself.”
I get in my car and start the engine, his eyes on me the entire time.
As I pull out of my driveway, I leave him standing there looking helpless.
Looking just how I feel.
Chapter Four
The present
The drive home is uneventful. Dex is quiet, playing head-banging music the whole drive, giving me a migraine.
“Still like shit music I see,” I comment.
“This is Five Finger Death Punch,” he replies, sounding offended. “Still only listen to commercial crap then?”
I make a hmmph noise but don’t reply. The song changes to some alternative¸ hipster music I’ve never heard before, so I put in my ear phones and stare out the window, into the darkness of the night. I lower the volume so he can’t hear ‘You and I’ by One Direction playing. I finally fall asleep but instantly wake when Dex touches my arm. He pulls the ear phones from my ears and speaks.
“I’m stopping to pump petrol, do you want anything?” he asks. One of his hands is on top of the steering wheel, and I stare at the tattoos covering his knuckles. On one hand W.D.M.C is spelt out, a letter on each finger.
Wind Dragons Motorcycle Club.
“Faye,” he snaps, when I don’t answer.
I blink and look at his face. “No thanks, I’m fine.”
“I’ll get you some water,” he says, sliding out of the car. God, he’s so bossy.
And hot—but that’s another story.
A few minutes pass when I see Rake walking up to the car. He comes to stand right at my window and taps on it. I blink slowly a few times before rolling the window down.
“Hey,” he says, smiling as he lights up a cigarette.
“Um hi,” I reply, staring at him. My lips quirk as I look at him, his smile contagious.
“Can’t wait to get home,” he grumbles around his smoke.
“Yeah, sorry about that,” I say, shrugging sheepishly.
He chuckles. “Was worth it, seeing Sin get all worked up.”
“Sin?” I ask, my lips pursing. Is that what Dex goes by nowadays? “Do you know what he’s planning on doing with me?”
Rake looks over the car, then takes a step backwards. I turn my head to see Dex get back into the car, a bottle of water and a chocolate bar in his hands.
“Thanks,” I say as he hands them to me.
“See you at the clubhouse Sin,” Rake says, tapping his hand on the top of the car before walking off.
“Sin?”
“Drink the water Faye,” is all he says in reply. He starts the car and drives back onto the main road, following behind Rake in my car. I take a sip of water to get him off my back then turn my body towards him.
I have so many questions right now.
“Why do they call you Sin?”
“They just do,” he replies shortly.
“Where are you taking me?” I ask, scrubbing a hand down my face.
He sighs heavily, like he’s sick of me already. “You’re going to stay with me. I heard that your piece of shit parents kicked you out, so you’re with me until you can get back on your feet.”
That is kind of nice. As much as I don’t like being told what to do, it’s going to save me a lot of stress, having a stable place to stay during this pregnancy. However, I do have other concerns.
“Where exactly do you stay? With a group of bikers?” I ask slowly, not wanting to offend him. But at the same time, I’m not living with a houseful of bikers.
“Who told you that?” he asks, frowning.
“Eric.”
“Of course that little bastard did,” he sighs, looking straight ahead at the road. I stare at his handsome profile, waiting for him to elaborate, but he doesn’t.
“Dex… I appreciate you want to keep an eye on me and the baby, but I really don’t feel comfortable staying with you and your friends,” I tell him, shifting in my seat.
“Was Rake horrible to you?” he asks, his voice hardening.
“No, of course not…”
“Good and neither will anyone else be,” he says. “No one will hurt you. Do you think I would ever let that happen?”
“I’m not going to win am I?” I mutter, pushing my hair off my face.
Dex laughs at that. “You’re a fast learner babe.”
I bite my lip, staying in silence for about ten minutes before I can’t hold it in anymore. “Do you guys kill people? Or do Illegal shit? Is it true you have groupies?”
Dex sighs again, this one long- suffering. “Are you going to be a pain in my ass the whole time you’re living with me?”
I lift my shoulder in a shrug. “Probably.”
“At least you’re honest,” he grumbles. “I’ll tell you what, try and reserve judgment until you meet everyone. Make up your own mind about us.”
“I guess I could do that,” I reply, bobbing my head.
“Either way, you’re staying with us, so you better make the most of it,” he adds, always having to say the last word.
“Is Eric going to come by?”
I know they aren’t close or anything, but how does this biker thing work?
He turns to me then, giving me an odd look. “Do you want him to?”
“Not really,” I reply honestly.
“Good, because he won’t be coming around,” he says. “Are you going to eat your chocolate?”
I glance down at the Snickers bar. “Why, do you want it?”
“If you’re not going to,” he says, eying the chocolate.
“Halves?” I offer, just like I used to make him share as a kid.
“Sure,” he replies with a twitch of his lips. I break the bar in half and hand him the smaller half.
He notices and laughs. “The nice thing to do would be to give me the bigger half.”
“And why’s that?” I ask, taking a bite.
“I’m twice as big as you,” he says.
That was kind of him. “I’m pregnant. When it comes to food from now on I always win.”
His deep chuckle makes me smile. “You always win anyway Faye.”
“What does that mean?” I ask, chewing and swallowing another delicious bite.
“You have a way about you…”
“I think that’s just my stubborn personality.”
“Exactly, you have a strong
will. Strong spirit,” he says, peeking at me before staring back at the road.
I stay silent, lost in my thoughts. It’s nice that he thinks that about me. Really nice. Pretty much the opposite of what my mother has always tried to drill into me.
His hand finds my thigh and stays there. My breath hitches at the contact, at his casual affection. I slowly pinch myself, on the underside of my other thigh, to make sure this isn’t a dream.
“Ouch,” I mutter. Okay definitely not a dream. That freaking hurt.
“What’s wrong?” he asks, cutting his eyes to me.
“Nothing,” I reply quickly, turning my head to look out the window.
“I know you think I’ve changed…” he starts. I sit up straighter, interested in what he has to say. “You were just a kid back then…”
“But?”
He glances at me. “I have changed. But for you… I’ll always be that same person. Does that make sense? You have no need to be scared or wary around me babe.”
I exhale deeply, appreciating his words of comfort. “Thanks Dex.”
“How’s uni?” he asks, as his fingers start to rub my thigh.
I swallow hard, finding myself getting turned on by the simple action. “It’s good, actually.”
“Heard you were at the top of your class…”
“Who told you that?” I ask. Has he been checking up on me? Why do I like the thought of that? I need to calm myself down.
“Eric,” he replies in a toneless voice.
“Oh,” is all I can think of to say.
An hour later the car stops. “What are we doing here?” I ask Dex as we wait in front of a gate. A man runs out and opens the gate for us, then Dex parks the car. Several motorcycles are parked nearby. I stare ahead at the building in front of me. It looks more like a warehouse than a house. It’s massive. Silently, I get out of the car and wait for Dex to do the same. I can feel his eyes on me, burning a hole in the back of my head. I wait for him to lead the way, and I follow behind. I can hear music, loud music. It’s about eleven at night, and all I want to do is sleep. It doesn’t look like I’m going to be able to get that chance. Dex looks at me, and I don’t miss the grimace as he hears the noise.
“Should have brought you in during the day,” he utters under his breath, then takes my hand in his and walks me in through the door.
Dragon's Lair Page 3
