“Being with me comes with a lot, I know that, but I need you on board with it all.”
“If we take us at my pace, I probably will be.”
I don’t like the sound of probably, but I let her go and we set off. I have visions of her dress hitching up her thighs for the entire ride and I’ve never been so grateful to get her off my bike when we pull up to the club. My jeans are far too tight now and being near her doesn’t help.
Adjusting myself while her back is turned, I scope out her legs and they are phenomenal. They’re really not helping my situation.
I make it clear how I want us to be seen by taking her hand in mine and lead us into the bar. The place is swarming with brothers, old ladies, and a few people Victoria knows from town.
Harper grins my way when she clocks me holding hands with Emma and offers a little wave.
We’ve made it before the family and by the looks of it we have enough time for me to introduce Emma to a few people. Harper is so much happier these days and I’m happy for her. I like her as a person and I didn’t like the way she felt she couldn’t tell us what was going on after taking Ellis out. I would’ve been at her side, for sure, and fucked up anyone who said anything against her. I don’t class many people as friends, but I do her.
“Harper, this is Emma, Emma this is Harper.”
They both smile at each other and I hope they become friends. “This is JJ, Harper’s husband, he’s bit of a dick but he’s okay, I suppose.”
“Love you too, brother,” he shoots out, then grins at Emma. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“Is Leo coming tonight?” I ask, as I look around and don’t see him.
“I told him about it, don’t know if he’ll show though.”
“They’re here,” Alannah shouts out and everyone in the bar quietens down. Not that they have to, she can’t hear them.
Leaning against the bar, I pull Emma against me so her back is flush with my chest and I wrap my arms around her.
Dad is first through the door and when Tori steps inside, she’s isn’t surprised by the scene around her. She doesn’t smile, she isn’t happy, and she tries to cower behind mom holding Penelope.
“You need to go over to her, she’s freaking out,” Emma whispers and I agree.
Not wanting to leave Emma alone, looking as hot as she is, I take hold of her hand and pull her along with me as I weave through the brothers and women.
Tor pierces me with her gaze and I can instantly see the pleading in them for me to get her out of the swarm surrounding her.
Slinging my arm around her, I end up losing Emma’s hand, but smelling her perfume I know she’s close behind us. I sit Tor at a table at the back of the bar so she’ll be able to see anyone coming her way.
Emma signs ‘Happy Birthday.’ and sits beside her at the table. By the time I sit beside Emma, mom, dad, grumps are settling in and mom passes me Penelope.
She settles quickly and I find Emma grinning at me when I look over.
“What?”
Shaking her head, she mouths, “Nothing.”
Not questioning her further, I check Penelope and she’s content watching everyone around her.
It hits me, this is my fucking family, minus Mason, and Emma fits in very fucking nicely. Drinks are poured, birthday wishes are offered, and Victoria looks like she’d rather be anywhere but here. Passing Penelope to Emma, I head for the bathrooms and think about Emma unzipping her dress for me later tonight. It brings a smile to my face as I imagine it hitting the floor around her feet, leaving her in her underwear, as I finish my business.
On my way back to the table, I grab a beer from the bar, and I’m halted by Zara and Naomi confronting Emma while she rocks the baby in her arms.
“It’s girls like you who come here and take our men but playing mommy to Hailee’s baby is taking it too far!” Zara spits out spitefully.
“She’ll hear about this, that’s for sure,” Naomi warns, and I itch to step in and tell them to fuck off, but a part of me wants to see how Emma handles herself.
“I’m sure you’ll be the ones to tell her too,” she says, holding her own. “While you’re on the phone to her cooking up unnecessary drama, you tell her she’s missing out the best thing that will probably ever happen to her.”
As I move closer, Emma catches me over Zara’s shoulder. I throw her a wicked grin, letting her know I’ve heard, and she nods once.
“Now, if you don’t mind, this conversation is done.”
Soothingly rubbing Penelope’s back, she turns away from them and Zara leaps forward.
I grab onto her shoulder and pull her back. “She said this conversation is done,” I reiterate, adding when they turn around, “When you talk to Hailee, cut the shit out and tell her I said she gets one chance to come and talk to me. Penelope is mine and I’m making moves to make sure she has a good life. If I don’t hear from her soon, I’ll cut her out and she won’t get a second chance.”
I step aside and they scatter out of my sight. I take Penelope from Emma and pass her to my mom. Taking Emma’s hand, I lead her to an open space and pull her against me.
There aren’t many people dancing but I don’t give a shit if anyone sees us.
“Will I get used to be bombarded by your exes every time I come here?” she asks, looking up at me.
“It won’t happen again,” I promise, already planning on having a word with them.
She rests her head against my chest and we sway slowly to the music.
“I’ve got to leave town for a few days tomorrow, we leave in the morning,” I tell her, and realise how much I’m not looking forward to not seeing her every day.
“Why? Where are you going?”
“It doesn’t matter where, but this is how I earn my money and with Penny, I need to make sure I’m cash flush at all times.”
“Do I want to push you for answers?” she asks.
“Probably not. I promise as soon as I’m back, I’m all yours though.”
“Is this a regular thing, you leaving town?”
“About once a month.”
I’ll always be truthful with her, but somethings I don’t need to volunteer the information.
Over the top of Emma’s head I catch Luca staring at Tor. Sweeping my eyes across to Tor, she’s biting down on her bottom lip and I’m not sure if it’s because she’s nervous with him or still angry with him. Come to think of it, I haven’t seen them together since Mercy.
He jerks his head towards the exit, wanting her to go outside with him but she looks away, and stays where she is.
He pulls his phone out and his fingers fly over the screen as he types a message. Checking back in on Tor, she gets the message and locks her phone after quickly reading whatever he sent. She doesn’t look his way again and he storms outside.
“Excuse me, I’ll be back in a minute,” I say to Emma, interrupting our dance.
“I’ll meet you back at the table.”
“Okay.”
I move quickly through the party and find Luca heading over to the main house across the lot.
I catch up to him pretty quickly and shove him against the wall. I like Luca, don’t get me wrong, but when it comes to him and my sister, whatever the fuck is going on between them, all bets are off.
“Are you fucking serious?” he growls at me, finding his feet quickly.
I shove him again until his back hits the side of the house and I lunge forward, grabbing him by the collar and holding him in place.
“What did you do to Tori?”
His eyes are darkening and his jaw sets into stone. He will tell me one way or another.
I yank him forward and shove him hard again, just to get his fucking attention.
“You’ve upset her somehow, I want to know how.”
“Nothing’s going on, Myles.”
“You obviously think I’m stupid, fucking tell me!”
“You want to know, ask her.”
Bringing his hands up, he pu
shes at my shoulders with enough force, I stumble back.
“I’m not telling you shit, Myles. Ask her, if she tells you, come and see me and we’ll fight then.”
“So you did something that will warrant us to fight?” I hedge.
“Ask. Her.”
Luca Jackson is a cocky son of a bitch and one day he will get what he’s owed and I’ll be front in line to watch it unravel, or dish it out.
“Stay away from her, if I see you trying to talk to her again, I’ll end you,” I warn him.
“I’ll allow you putting your hands on me this one time, but what’s between me and Tori, is between us. You come at me again, I’ll fucking end you.”
Spinning on my heel, I call out over my shoulder, “Stay the fuck away.”
Emma
It’s getting late and when Myles returns from wherever he went, he’s tense and doesn’t say a word as he sits beside me.
“We’re going to head out, Victoria wants to go home, she’s had enough for tonight and this little one is getting cranky. I’ll have her tonight but you’re going to have to arrange your own system with her.”
I listen to Kyla speak to him and he only nods. He’s distracted and I leave it alone while he says goodbye to Penelope. He kisses the top of her head and it’s the sweetest I’ve seen him do. I’m bloody falling for him and I’m forgetting that I’ve only known him for a few weeks. The only problem falling for him, I’m enjoying it now but how much is it going to hurt when I land, and it all crashes down around me?
Ricky nor Pope leave with them, content to stay and continue enjoying the party, they leave the table in search of another beer.
Myles hasn’t drunk one beer tonight and I’m grateful as I came here on the back of his bike.
“What’s wrong with you? What happened when you went outside?”
His eyes roll towards me and then flicks to a young guy walking in the bar. Myles’ lips roll over his teeth and I can see he wants to hurt this guy. Leaning closer to him, I place my hand on his cheek and guide him to look at me.
“Who is that?”
“That’s Luca Jackson, him and Tor have had something going on for a while, not that any of us really know what. I’m pretty sure he upset her in Mercy and she hasn’t spoken to him since. When she was in the hospital, she freaked out when he came to visit her, she wouldn’t stop crying until he left.”
He must be the one she was telling me about, the someone who slept with someone else. Oh no. Poor Victoria. Her luck is shockingly bad.
“You know something?” Myles says sitting forward, he scoots my chair so I’m facing him and it kind of turns me on how strong he is.
“She may have said some things, but it’s not my place to say.”
“You’re joking, right? Tell me, I need to know.”
Biting down on my lip, I don’t know what to do. I don’t want to keep things from Myles, but I don’t want to break Victoria’s trust in me either.
“What if I promise not to kill him or tell Tor I know…whatever it is you know.”
I’m taking too long to internally debate whether to tell him or not when he leans back in his chair.
“So, you don’t trust me?”
“Don’t do that to me, this is an awful position to be in.”
“One thing I’ve learned from this club, secrets cause trouble.”
Fucking hell. I can’t handle this.
“If you say or do anything, I’ll stop this between us because I won’t be able to trust you. And to be honest, he might not even be the guy she was talking about.”
“You have my word.”
“She wasn’t aware of the guys with guns because she was running away from finding the guy she liked in bed with someone else. She didn’t say any names and that’s all I know.”
I feel terrible.
“It was Luca, for sure it was him. I’m going to kill him.”
With images of him beating the guy who caused Victoria pain, I don’t want to see it for real. I don’t want to see him in that light, or darkness. I grab onto his hands, like I’m strong enough to hold him down and urge him to look at me.
“She’s dealing with it herself, and by the looks of it he’s suffering enough. You can’t fight all her battles.”
“The fuck I can, I’ll leave it for tonight, but he’s going to get hurt.”
This isn’t going well. He searches him out and his eyes narrow into slits when he finds him up the bar, talking with Cas. I’m slowly learning everyone’s names.
“Myles, look at me,” I instruct and wait impatiently for him to do so. “Your sister is dealing with so much, she doesn’t need you adding more crap to her pile. She’s obviously dealing with it in her own way, she’s strong, she’ll get through this.”
I could be talking to a rock by the look of uninterest he has in what I’m saying.
He leans forward, bringing his mouth close to my ear. He whispers, “I won’t break your trust, but he will not get away with this. He hurt my sister and now I’m blaming him for her accident. The fucker is going to get hurt, perhaps not tonight, or tomorrow, but one day, when nothing can come back on you, I’m going to bury him.”
His words chill my bones and for a fleeting moment, I truly believe I’ve underestimated this man before me. He leans back, only slightly so he can meet my eyes and adds, “Don’t ask me to be someone I’m not. I’m certainly not someone who doesn’t fight for his family.”
Pushing out of his chair, he rises and I swallow heavily. I too stand and reach for his hand.
“You’re protective, I get that, but you see your sister as someone who needs protecting every step of the way. Don’t you see, she can protect herself.”
This is the wrong thing to say, and he snatches his hand away. He puts his hands on my shoulders and spins me around and points over my shoulder to the couches, currently occupied by a brother with a scantily dressed woman draped over him.
“You see that couch? A few months ago, our club nearly fell because our enemy rushed us and had our asses over a barrel. He tormented and he made threats that most of us believed he would carry out. Tor was there, sat on that couch when he poured a full bottle of whiskey over her. She was drenched in the stuff, and do you know what he did?”
I can’t speak. My voice has vanished, I know she was attacked but hearing Myles’ version of events is something more, I can see it all happening.
“He threatened to set her alight, he tormented her, flicking his lighter and bringing the flame close to her soaked body.”
Nausea overwhelms me, I can picture it like it’s happening now. He half turns me and points to a table between our table and the bar. “That’s where me and Mason were held down with guns at the back of our heads so we couldn’t help her. The fear I saw in her eyes will haunt me every single day and quite possibly well after my death. There was nothing I could do to help her, only kneel there and pray she wouldn’t suffer one of the most horrific deaths imaginable, that I wouldn’t have to watch my sister be burned alive.”
A tear rolls over my cheek but I can’t move to wipe it away.
“So, yeah, I will protect her every chance I get, just like I would protect Penelope, you, anyone I care about. You will never have a say in how I protect them.”
His presence behind me disappears and as I turn to see where he went, he’s walking around the table and heading for the exit.
Slipping out of my heels, I half walk half jog after him and he’s walking fast towards his bike.
“Are you planning on leaving me here?” I call out and come to a stop when he spins on me.
“I needed a smoke, I wasn’t going to fucking leave you.”
He’s lying, I could be blind and I’d still see the lie written all over his face.
“Do you do this often, just walk away?”
“I wasn’t…”
“You did though, Myles, I don’t know anyone here and you just left me in there alone. I’m trying really hard to learn your ways and
understand your lifestyle. But you have to learn and understand mine, it’s so different. I might need a minute when I hear stuff like that. Surely you can see that?”
His shoulders sag and he gazes down at the ground. I move closer and rest my hands on his chest.
“Stay with me tonight.”
His eyes shoot to mine and he wraps his hand around the back of my neck. “You sure?”
I nod, leaning up on my tip toes. I kiss him, not quite as hard as yesterday, but I’m definitely as hungry for his touch like yesterday.
“This is going to get messy,” I breathlessly say.
“Yeah, I’ll be worth it though.” He’s so cocky but I love it. “I know you will be.”
Myles
I’m one call away from smashing my phone on the ground under my fucking boot. Mason’s name flashes across the screen and I wonder when he’s going to give up. I haven’t answered in months and I’m not likely to in the near future. I’m making money and nothing he has to say interests me while I wait for Cas to finish this deal with the Hayward’s guys. Sending his call to voicemail, I scroll through my contacts for mom’s number and hit call.
She picks up after three rings and her voice is as light as a lullaby. She’s happy which can only mean Penelope is happy.
“How’s my kid?” I ask.
“She’s taking a nap. You don’t have to keep calling, Myles. I know how to look after a baby.” She chuckles and I roll my eyes. “Shouldn’t you be conducting business?”
“I’m just waiting around, and there’s no harm in checking in, that’s what dads do, isn’t it?”
“Yes, son. That’s what good dads do. Is there anyone else you’d like to check in on?”
Mom doesn’t miss a trick and I try to hide my amusement. I’m missing the girl. Me, Myles fucking Simmons, missing a girl.
“Is Emma at the house?”
“She is.”
“And she’s okay?”
“Of course she is. She’s out back with Tori.”
“I like her, mom.”
“Yeah, I guessed as much. Go on now, be careful and answer your brother’s calls.”
Their Fractured Souls: Sons Of Lost Soul MC Book Six Page 21
