by Smith, T. O.
I looked out the window, cutting off any conversation with her. When we got to the station, I jumped out of the truck and went inside. I couldn't move as fast as I wanted to because my body was still extremely sore from what I had gone through in the past few days.
I found the sheriff and walked over to him. He took a double take of me, shocked to see me out of the hospital so soon. “Miss Johnson, I didn't realize you were being released so early."
Fucking cops. I really did hate cops. I knew he was going to come back to question me, but with cops, it never mattered if they got the right person, just as long as they had someone behind bars for the crime. However, I would be damned if I let Cole take the fall for this. I needed him outside with me, not locked up inside.
"You've got the wrong person, sheriff." I said. "Cole isn't the one who raped me. I willingly had sex with him when we were at the club house. I'm not letting him take the fall for something he didn't do."
"We have to keep him here until we've questioned him, Miss Johnson." He sighed.
I saw the keys to the holding cell on the desk behind him and snatched them up. I took off running for the back where they kept the cells, ignoring my body's protests. I found Cole’s cell and began to unlock it.
"For fuck's sake, Amelia, what in the fucking hell are you doing?!" Cole roared.
"Getting you out." I said.
I unlocked the door and got slammed against the bars. The sheriff dragged my arms behind my back. Cole stepped out and pulled the officer back from me. "You really going to arrest her, man?" Cole asked.
"She just released you, Cole. I can't let that go unpunished."
"If you arrest her, our deal is off, sheriff." Cole said quietly.
I glared at Cole. Don't tell me this mother fucker has become a rat. Rats don't live once they're caught. They're killed immediately.
The sheriff sighed and walked off. "Get out of here, both of you. Cole, take your mother with you." He called over his shoulder.
Cole looked over at me and noticed my glare. "Amelia, I'm not a rat. I made a deal with him because my dad asked me to when I called him. Get that judgmental little look out of your eyes."
I rolled my eyes and walked past him. If the clubs kept making deals with the cops, the clubs were going to go down. Someone was eventually going to rat the club out. I had tried telling Travis that, but he never listened to me.
I walked out to the truck and slid into the backseat. Cole got into the driver's side and his mom slid into the passenger seat. "Your bike is still at the hospital." Katie told Cole.
He grunted but didn't respond. I was sensing some serious tension between them. It was fucking strong.
"Drop me off at the club house on your way to the hospital." I said to Cole. I didn’t want to be in here any longer than I had to. Cole and his mother obviously had some issues between them, and I didn’t want to be around if they started arguing.
Cole glanced at me in the rearview mirror, but didn't reply. However, he did as I told him to. When I got into the club house, my mom and dad were sitting at a table. Travis was looking through some papers. I walked over and Travis looked up at me. "I was wondering when you were finally going to show up here." He said to me.
"Cole got locked up. I went to the station to release him." I nodded to the papers in his hands. "What's that?"
"Cops are suspicious of the money we make.” My dad muttered, glaring at the papers as Travis tossed them down onto the table. “I've got to find a way to balance out the books to make it seem like all of our money comes from the garage."
I grabbed a chair and dragged it over to the table and sat down beside him. I was over what happened a few days ago. Besides, even if I was still pissed off, I would have still sat down to help him because I needed to learn how to do this. After all, I was about to be the VP of both clubs.
~*~*~
Cole's POV
I pulled off of the club grounds once Amelia made it inside. To say that it was awkward with my mom in the truck was an understatement. She knew I was still pissed off at her. The only reason she hadn't opened her mouth yet was because she didn't want to bring out our issues in front of Amelia.
"Cole, you can't still be pissed off at me, can you?" She asked.
I clenched the steering wheel tightly, my knuckles turning white from my grip. "Yes, I am still pissed off.” I snapped at her. “Amelia got injured that night and you dragged the clubs into unwanted business. Now, Amelia has been beaten and raped and it's most likely retaliation for what she did per your goddamn orders. I have every fucking right to be pissed off." I spat.
"Well, you don't need to let your anger get in the way of what's best for the club, Cole."
I shot a glare at her. "Maybe you should have thought about that before you fucking sent Amelia out to do the job of the clubs!" I roared at her. "For fuck's sake, mom, don't you get it?! Dad has always let you off easy and he may have this time too, but I'll be fucking damned if I allow you to get off easy with me! You not only put the clubs at risk by going behind everyone’s backs, but you've also put the only girl I've ever cared about in direct danger! Until you can admit that what the fuck you did was wrong, you need to stay the fuck away from me, and stay the fuck away from Amelia!”
I pulled the truck into a parking space at the hospital and got out. I had to get the fuck away from my mom. Just being in her presence alone was enough to piss me off. I hated having to actually fucking listen to her bullshit.
I straddled my bike and started it up. I spun out of the hospital parking lot and took off for the club house. I was going to drink hard tonight. Once I was good and drunk, I was going to find some whore and fuck her hard.
I'd love to fuck Amelia, but I wasn't in the mood to watch how rough I was being; I'd never be able to live with myself if I hurt her. Besides, she just got raped. Her body was in no condition to be having sex.
When I got to the club house, I walked inside and found Amelia in a heated conversation with my dad. Luke was standing beside Amelia. They didn't look to be arguing; the conversation just looked really serious. I grabbed a beer from behind the bar and walked over. "What's going on?" I asked.
"Amelia is about to start handling the books." My dad informed me. "In just a few minutes, she figured out how to make all of our illegal money seem legal. It makes it easier for us to spend it without having the cops crawl up our asses."
I smirked at Amelia. "You'll be VP material before we realize it."
She returned my smirk and leaned forward to whisper in my ear. "I already am, babe."
She walked off and I couldn't stop my eyes from following her. Fuck, she was gifted with a great ass. It was perfectly round and great for squeezing. Damn, those hips swayed with no effort at all. It was no wonder why guys flocked to her live bees to a hive. Amelia was fucking gorgeous.
"If you stare any harder, you'll burn holes into my daughter's ass." Luke said.
I slowly turned my head to look at him, taking a sip from my beer. "It's not my fault your daughter has got an ass worthy of my attention."
"Colton." My dad said in warning.
I ignored him and smirked at Luke. "Keep fucking around with Amelia and watch where you end up." Luke said quietly, a warning soft in his voice.
"Looks like I'll be seeing where I'm going to end up because there's no way in hell I'm going to stop fucking with Amelia." I said, my tone matching his. One thing you didn't do, was threaten me. You also didn't give me 'warnings' about messing around with Amelia.
I walked over to the bar and took a seat next to Amelia who was nursing a beer. "Want to tell me whose crime I got locked up for?" I asked her.
She glanced over at me and then looked back at the prospect who was serving drinks. "I need something stronger than this.” She muttered. “Give me two fingers of Vodka."
"You sure?" He asked her.
"Peanut, give me the fucking shots." She snapped at him.
He nodded and rushed to get her shots. "Are you g
oing to answer my question?" I asked her.
She looked at me. "No. Don't fucking ask me again." She spat.
I gripped her chin and forced her to meet my eyes. She's never been able to deny what I want to know when I force her to meet my eyes. I wanted answers. I wasn't going to stop until I got them.
I wasn’t prepared for her eyes to seems so soulless, which really shocked me. They were always filled with so much life. It was more than a simple rape that did this to her. I knew Amelia well enough to know that.
"Amelia, baby, tell me who raped you." I murmured.
Looking me dead in my eyes, she said, "No."
What? Had she just denied answering my question while looking me in my eyes?
She yanked her chin from my hand and downed both shots of Vodka that Peanut set down in front of her. Fuck, something much worse than I could have imagined had happened to her. I wasn't going to stop until I got to the bottom of it. However, until she would tell me, I was just going to do my hardest to protect her. Her safety meant everything to me.
~*~*~
Amelia's POV
I woke up to someone sliding out of bed. I jerked into an upright position in a panic and immediately groaned at the pain that shot though my head. Fuck, I had a hangover from hell.
"Here." Cole's gruff voice said.
I looked over and found him handing me two pills. I swallowed them and he set the glass of water on the nightstand. I looked around and sighed. This wasn't my room. Why in the hell was I in Cole's room? I was dressed, so I know we didn't fuck last night.
"What am I doing in here?" I asked him.
He slid his boxers off and I swallowed hard at the sight of him naked. Fuck, he was every woman's dream come true. He had muscles that you wanted to sink your teeth into. His abs and chest were perfect for being scratched and his dick was the perfect size, even soft.
He walked over to his in-suite bathroom. "You passed out drunk dancing on some prospect from the other club that rode in last night. I saved you from getting your ass raped again.” I winced slightly at that word. “The door to your room was locked and I couldn't find your room key anywhere, so I brought you in here." He eyed my shoulder. My shirt had slid down a little, showing my knife wound. "Want to tell me what happened in jail?" He asked.
I shook my head. I didn't want to talk about it. Besides, I was still busy fucking him with my eyes.
"Babe, if you keep giving me those fuck me eyes, I'm not going to be getting my shower." Cole said huskily, his eyes darkening with his want for me.
I bit my bottom lip and forced myself to look away. I'd been raped before, so the aftermath of the rape wasn't disturbing me mentally. I could still have sex without bringing up flashbacks. However, my body wasn't in any condition to be fucked. I was still fucking sore. Fucking ATL bastard.
I slid out of Cole's bed and stumbled a little. "I still feel a little drunk." I muttered.
Cole caught me before I fell over. "Obviously. Lay back down, babe, and go back to sleep. No one is going to disturb you; I promise."
I let him lead me back to the bed. He covered me up and kissed my forehead. "Use my bed as long as you want to, babe, but, when you wake up, I won't be here, okay?"
I nodded sleepily. He kissed me and I fell back asleep.
~*~*~
Cole's POV
I walked into the meeting room and took my seat beside my mom. Even though I was pissed at my mom and didn’t want shit to do with her, I had to attend this meeting. It was too important to miss. We were going to be bringing in drugs and that was always a dangerous job.
"Who all is going on the run?" I asked, speaking up first.
"Everyone at this table." My dad said. "It's a large shipment. We're going to need all of the back-up that we can get."
I stood up. "Let's go, then. The quicker we get this done, the quicker we'll be out of the risk."
We all walked out. I pulled Peanut aside. He looked at me nervously. "Did I do something wrong, Cole?" He asked.
I shook my head. "No. I just need you to make sure Amelia doesn't go anywhere by herself. If she goes to bite your head off, tell her you're just following my orders. I'll deal with her when I get back."
He nodded. I walked over to my bike and straddled it. I took off and got in my position behind my parents. I just prayed that everything went swiftly and without problems.
I just prayed that Amelia kept her ass out of trouble while I was gone. Amelia and trouble never mixed well. I bet I gave that prospect a job that even I would have trouble doing. Amelia wasn't an easy person to deal with.
Five
Amelia's POV
I strapped my helmet on and straddled my bike. Three days ago, everyone – including Cole – had ridden out on a run and they hadn’t yet returned. Considering the text that I had gotten from my dad, they most likely wouldn't be back until the end of the week.
Last night, I had gotten a call on my phone from the fucking ATL president warning me to tell the club his message, or he would make me. They wanted a war with the Black Skulls and Bloody Royals so badly, and I wouldn't give them what they wanted.
So no, no matter how much I hated him and his fucking brothers, and how much I hate him beating me and raping me, I would keep everything that he did to myself. The man was a sick bastard and I wouldn’t let him destroy the clubs.
I knew he would follow up on his threat to ‘make me’, therefore, I was going to get the hell out of town for a while. I would probably stay with a charter a few states over. It was all that I knew to do to keep the clubs safe. I just had to lay low until the ATL figured out that I wasn’t going to cooperate, no matter what.
Peanut was out running some errands for Katie, so I wasn't under his watchful eye at the moment. Fucking Cole had taken it upon himself to fucking assign Peanut to me as if I needed a body guard. I didn’t fucking need anybody.
I started my bike up and was about to drive off when three bikes came through the gates. I stiffened immediately, putting myself on alert, praying that it wasn’t the ATL coming to ‘make me’ tell the clubs their message.
"You've got to be fucking kidding me." I muttered once I realized who it was.
Cole brought his bike to a stop in front of me, preventing me from driving off. He turned his bike off and I proceeded to do the same, knowing I wasn't going to get out of this confrontation.
"What in the hell do you think you're doing?" He asked me, his eyes glaring into my own.
"Riding off into the sunset." I spat at him, taking my helmet back off.
I still wasn't over him assigning Peanut to me. He knew that, too, because after I called him and chewed his ass out, I didn't answer any of his calls or texts.
"You're not going anywhere." He said, his tone not allowing any room for arguments. "It's too dangerous to be out by yourself."
I rolled my eyes at him, sighing in frustration. I was a biker girl and I was a part of these clubs. When wasn’t my life in danger?
"Cole, danger is my middle name. Now, move. I need to get the hell out of here." I snapped.
Gun shots suddenly went off as four bikes came onto the club grounds. Cole knocked me to the ground before I could fully register something was happening, and started firing back immediately. I felt a hand wrap around my upper arm and I screamed in pain at not only the tightness of the grip, but the fact that it was my arm connected to my bad shoulder, which really fucking hurt now.
"Cole, stop shooting." A familiar voice spoke from behind me, the person pressing the gun in his hand against my temple.
My blood ran cold. I wanted to hyperventilate. Fuck, I was a strong woman, but against this bastard? I may as well be some common bitch that can’t handle her own. Countless beatings and rapes could really take the fight out of a girl. All I wanted to do at that moment was to break down and cry.
Cole leveled his gun at the man as everyone stopped firing, watching the confrontation against the ATL president and Cole. "Let her go." Cole ground out through
clenched teeth.
The ATL fucker just ignored what Cole said. "I'm assuming this beautiful woman didn't give anyone my message, hm?" He grabbed my chin in his hand and turned my head to face him. I winced in pain at his grip. "No brains to go with that beauty, huh?" He asked me.
"Rot in hell." I spat at him, desperate for him to not see the fear running through my veins.
He slammed the butt of his gun against my head and I cried out in pain. Fuck, this bastard was fucking ruthless. He was so goddamn emotionless.
A muscle in Cole's jaw ticked furiously. He was livid. "What message?" Cole snapped, not looking at me, but keeping his eyes level with the ATL president’s.
The president chuckled. "Go ahead and tell him, darling. I'll let everyone here live – including you and pretty boy – as long as you give him my message."
I shook my head no furiously. "Go ahead and kill me. I won't let you drag the clubs down." I ground out through clenched teeth.
He wrapped his hand around my throat tightly, almost restricting my air flow. "Now, Amelia, let's try this again or I'll put a bullet through his head." He said quietly.
I squeezed my eyes shut. I couldn't allow Cole to be killed. I would never be able to live with myself.
Cole was protective over everyone in the clubs and lately, he had been super overprotective of me. This news would kill him. It was the whole reason I wouldn't tell him who raped me in the first place.
The ATL wanted a war, though and they had been wanting one for months. Since they couldn't get their hands on Heather, they took me, their next best option. Since they had seen how protective Cole was of me, I was an even better option than Heather since Cole held a lot of ground in the clubs. The news was going to give the ATL exactly what they wanted.
"I'll tell him." I ground out. "Fucking leave, and I'll tell him."
The man stepped away from me and smirked. He rubbed my bottom lip and I squeezed my eyes closed, trying to block out the painful memories. "Until next time, sweet thing." He murmured.
