Kennedy (The Phoenix Club Girl Diaries #1)

by Addison Jane

  Brooklyn never really had a great Dad figure. Dad never got the chance to show her how amazing he could be.

  The way Repo stepped into that role gave her someone to turn to, someone to look up to, someone to let her know in no uncertain terms that he had her back and that guys were indeed assholes. She respected him, and she valued the way he treated her and the way he treated me, which gave me hope that one day maybe she’d find a guy who treats her the same.

  Unlike the guys I was petrified she would find before.

  “Looks like you’re all ready to escape and never return,” Emma grinned as she stepped into the room. Emma was one of Meyah’s friends. She was a nurse, just qualified and thankfully, had been the one to look after me during her shifts over the three weeks I spent in this place. There was at least one club member there at all times, but having Emma to chat with kept me sane. She was always straight up, unafraid to tell me when I needed to work a little harder, unlike the others who let me get away with not pushing myself to my limits.

  It was hard.

  The past six weeks had been kind of hellish.

  Getting back on my feet again after that first week, not knowing whether I would ever again was the scariest moment in my fucking life. But you know what? Those moments don’t seem so scary when you suddenly have something to fight for, and when you suddenly have a huge family all behind you, driving you to keep going, refusing to let you give up.

  I was almost dead when the boys found me. I had a punctured lung—which ended up collapsing, two broken ribs, and damage to my spleen. It took a little while to get one foot in front of the other again, but I did. But my body still wasn’t back to where it was before.

  It might never be, but it didn’t matter. If they hadn’t got me out of there in the short time that they did, I wouldn’t have made it.

  I was lucky.

  Lucky to have people around me willing to fight for me—something I’d spent a long time without.

  KENNEDY

  We roared into the compound, and I couldn’t help but smile at the sheer number of bikes lined up outside.

  The Exiled Eight were in town from Vegas.

  The new nightclub—aptly named Dynasty to match Empire—was opening in a couple of days, and the race was on to make sure everything and anything that could go wrong, doesn’t. Repo pulled into his space, and I climbed off, waiting for him before I went inside.

  The chatter and laughter from inside the clubhouse filled the air.

  The sun was setting, and I could already tell we were in for a long night of celebrations. But first, I needed to find Brooklyn and check to see how the first day of school went because Repo wouldn’t tell me a thing. Him and her, they had this weird pact. There were some things she didn’t want to hear from me, but she respected his opinion. And whether it changed how she viewed the situation or not, I knew she asked for his input often.

  It was nice.

  It was like having another parent, being able to share the weight on more than one person’s shoulders. And while I was still getting used to that, I was learning to appreciate it whenever possible.

  “Come on,” Repo said as he climbed off his ride and placed his hand on the small of my back. “I got a surprise for you.”

  I froze on the spot, and he started to chuckle. “What’s going on?”

  “The whole point of a surprise is that you don’t know what it is until you see it,” he teased, pushing his hand against my back and forcing me forward again. “I had to get Huntsman to bring it down from Vegas, so I hope you like it.”

  I would.

  There really was no doubt.

  I just wasn’t the biggest fan of surprises, so I forced one foot in front of the other, trudging inside like a pouting child to which Repo found highly amusing. The second I stepped into the clubhouse, a huge roar went up around me, brothers from both clubs, girls, staff from Empire, the place was full to the brim. And they were all looking at me cheering.

  “Look, if Brook told you it was my birthday, you guys seriously got pla—”

  I froze, tears prickling at my eyes.

  “Don’t you dare cry,” Laken called, skipping down the stairs toward me.

  “Who’s crying? I’m not crying,” I sniffled, running forward and meeting her right at the bottom of the staircase where she leaped on top of me. I couldn’t stand up, the both of us tumbling to the floor already in fits of laughter mixed with sobs.

  She buried her face in my neck, her thick brown hair just completely smothering me.

  People around us laughed, but most of them just went back to their business drinking and mingling.

  “I’m so sorry,” I murmured into her ear as I cuddled her close to my body. “I’m so sorry I just disappeared. I should have sent someone for you earlier.”

  She shook her head, pulling back and brushing my mess of hair away from my face where it was trying to stick to my tears. “Kenz, I got out.”

  My brow knitted together. “When?”

  She climbed up off the floor with a smile before holding her hand out to me. I took it and let her pull me to my feet, holding onto her tightly, not ready to let go just yet. “The kid.” She pointed across the room to a broody looking Rylan, who just happened to be glaring at my little sister while she chatted with Dakota. “I caught him trying to break into your apartment before Crow’s men showed up. Just about shot him too until he used the Dinah Jane line.”

  I covered my mouth when I giggled, thanking whoever was up there watching that day.

  “He told me that you were safe, and he was taking Brooklyn to you,” she continued, hooking her arm through mine. We maneuvered our way through groups of people until we stepped out into the almost night air, the sun casting a stunning orange and purple hue across the clubhouse. “So I ran.”

  I stood back, staring at her with wide eyes. “Where have you been? Where did you go?”

  She started pulling into herself. Laken was a private person, she had secrets, I knew that, and I never pushed for her to tell me them.

  “I’m here if you need me,” I told her, tugging on her hand and drawing her eyes back to mine. They were bright and alive, and tears filled the brim.

  “One day,” she whispered, her voice cracking.

  I nodded. “Whenever you’re ready, so am I.” Laken had been my rock for so long, leaving her behind hurt. It really did. I’d been begging Repo to try and find her since we were in Vegas, and he said he was working on it. And now here she was. I was going to need answers… later. “Are you going to stay at the clubhouse?”

  She dabbed at her eyes with the back of her hand and a beaming smile lit up her beautiful face. “I talked to Shotgun this afternoon, and he agreed to let me join as a club girl.”

  My eyes widened. “Lake, you don’t have t—” She held up her hand, stopping me. I could get her a job, I could find her work, she could stay with us.

  “Kenz, these guys, if you haven’t noticed, are different.” I snorted so loudly that a couple of members who were standing just inside the doorway turned around and looked at me in confusion before turning back to their conversation. “I’m gonna go to school, Kennedy. I’m gonna make something of myself, and Shotgun said they would help me here.”

  The excitement in her face warmed me even as the sun finally disappeared, and darkness surrounded us, I just felt warm. I felt like my family was finally back together.

  The crunch of gravel had me grabbing Laken’s hand and pulling her close to me. I could see someone walking across the parking lot toward us, but as far as I knew, everyone was inside.

  I was ready, though, ready to beat the shit out of anyone who tried to steal my happiness.

  No one was going to take this from me.

  No fucking way.

  I’d let them do it before but no more.

  When the figure stepped out of the shadows, my shoulders slumped, and I laughed shaking my head.

  “I’m gonna assume you know the half-naked, sweaty, hot
tie,” Laken confirmed as she eyed Myth in all his glory. He glistened in the lights that shone from inside, sweat dripping down his skin as he heaved for breath. He reached for his hat, turning it so the cap faced backward and his face was no longer hidden.

  “Myth, you scared the crap outta me, dammit!” I cursed, but he just frowned at me for a second before he reached up and pulled out two wireless headphones from his ears.

  “What?” he asked, his eyes moving to Laken and lingering for a little too long before moving back to me.

  “I said you scared the crap out of me,” I repeated, suddenly feeling like I was missing something. “This is my friend, Laken.” I nodded to my best friend who was strangely quiet, her head tilted a little to the side as she studied Repo’s best friend.

  “Nice to meet you,” he answered breathlessly. He shook his head suddenly before taking another look at her. “Have we already met?”

  My eyes flicked to Laken who was quick to shake her head, her eyes a little wide. Laken oozed confidence on the worst days, but I could feel something weird coming from her. She was nervous, or scared, maybe both.

  “Laken, Myth is one of the brothers here,” I tried to explain, waiting for her body to relax, wondering if maybe I hadn’t been so clear about who he was. But it didn’t.

  She played it off like no big deal, though. “Of course, yeah, I guessed as much.” Myth continued to stare at her as if she was a puzzle, and there was just one piece missing to make up the entire picture. “I’m gonna go give Brook another cuddle, then you need to come introduce me to your new man,” she ordered playfully before she started to back away.

  Myth watched her go silently, his breathing still heavy and uneven from his run.

  “Do you and Laken know each other?”

  He was quick to shake his head. “She reminded me of someone for a second. Not someone I know, just someone I’d seen before. But maybe I just caught a glimpse of her earlier today.” He walked toward the open doors. “I’ll see you for a drink soon, I’m just gonna run and have a shower.”

  He quickly disappeared, leaving me standing outside in the dark on my own wondering what the hell just happened.

  “Kennedy.”

  I turned to find Meyah stepping outside with a cocktail in her hand.

  “Um… woah, baby,” I asserted, pointing at the drink and then her stomach, but she just started to giggle.

  “Dakota made me a virgin, don’t worry.”

  “Okay, now you see there’s a sentence I was sure in my entire lifetime that I would never hear,” Shake announced as he stepped outside with his nose screwed up, while Ripley followed with a full grin, nodding to himself.

  “But aren’t you glad you did,” Ripley teased, patting his brother-in-law on the back.

  “All you bastards, listen up!” I heard Huntsman call from inside, and we shuffled in through the open doors. My body gravitated to the left corner of the room, and I knew exactly who I’d find there. There was no denying the pull he had on me. I felt it right down in my gut, and I followed it every single time knowing that wherever it sent me, it would be where he was.

  When I found him hidden in the corner with Tyler and Auron, I simply slipped up beside him and hooked one of my fingers on his. He gave it a squeeze, letting me know he felt me there while we waited for Huntsman to continue.

  I didn’t lean into him, tuck myself in under his arm, wrap my arms around him like I was scared he’d run at any moment. I wasn’t. I was happy.

  “The next few days is gonna be crazy, but we’ll fucking work through it,” he announced loudly. “It’s what family does.”

  Yup.

  It’s what family does.

  Brooklyn and I, we lost our family, they were stolen from us a long time ago. First Mom, then Dad. And for the longest time, I wondered why. It didn’t make sense. Why were we the ones chosen to go through hell, chosen to watch our parents slowly deteriorate and become nothing right when we needed them?

  Because we were destined for this.

  I missed my mom and dad more than anything, but I was never going to be able to fix them or rescue them because it was never meant to be. Brooklyn and I, we were always meant to be here. This was the family we wanted, that we fought through hell for, that we deserved.

  We’d spent years in the rain, but the rainbow was here now.

  I looked around watching Huntsman with his arm hooked over my sister’s shoulder like she was one of his own kids, and Dakota and Laken quietly scheming over behind the bar like they were long, lost friends. All while I stood there, the man that I never knew I needed with his pinkie finger hooked through mine showing me all the affection I needed. There were days where he would let me run my hands over his bare skin for a few minutes, but then there were days where the closest I could get was a pillow between us in bed.

  But I didn’t fucking care.

  It made sense.

  This made sense.

  In its own weird fucking way.

  Huntsman rattled on for a few minutes about the new club, about how hard it had been, but how hard things were going to get, and everyone only got more excited, the energy in the room lifting and lifting.

  Repo began pulling me toward the exit as the music lit up, louder than before, the bass rattling the walls. He walked me toward his bike.

  “Wait? Are we leaving?” I asked in confusion.

  He chuckled, the deep delicious sound something I would never get sick of. “Just for a little bit, we’ll be back soon.”

  My sister’s light giggles as she skipped out after us with Tyler trudging behind her, shaking his head, surprised me as did the box that she slipped into Tyler’s saddle bags.

  “So I’m guessing this isn’t some romantic rendezvous somewhere,” I snorted, and Repo looked over his shoulder at me and winked.

  “Maybe we’ll get lost on the way back.”

  “I’m pretending I didn’t hear that,” Brooklyn called, rolling her eyes into the darkness.

  We both got on with the boys, the rumble of the engines sounding almost muted compared to the music that was pumping from the clubhouse as we flew out of the parking lot and onto the road. I held on to Repo’s leathers occasionally wrapping my arms a little tighter when I needed to.

  We’d both become pretty good at riding together. I gave him space when he needed it, and he pulled me close when he thought I needed it.

  The one place I never expected for him to pull up to was the beautiful grand church that we’d stopped at on the way back from Vegas. It was lit up like a Christmas tree, the doors wide open, the lights all on illuminating the stained-glass windows, and when Repo shut the engine off, I could hear the organ playing which was almost enough for me to crack.

  The boys parked the bikes at the curb outside, at the bottom of a beautiful large staircase.

  We all climbed off onto the sidewalk, and I looked between Brooklyn who was grinning like a Cheshire cat and Repo who I could already tell was feeling itchy.

  “I got Josiah to look into the church. He said they’re good people here. The pastor is a younger lady who does a lot for the community and has been known to swear occasionally,” Repo explained, and even though his voice was tense, he looked me directly in the eye, and I knew this was his way. “They have a remembrance mass once a month. Where you can go, think about your loved ones, light candles on a regular basis.”

  Brooklyn held up the box she’d retrieved from Tyler’s bags. “Repo helped me get special candles made for Mom and Dad like the lady said last time that we could.”

  I turned back to the man who I never imagined I would ever find in this lifetime, that I never thought I would ever deserve—and that I’m still not sure I do—but he was stuck with me.

  No returns.

  I stepped up in front of him and reached out for his check, brushing my fingers across the permanent but short beard which covered his face. “Go and light the candles with your sister, and we’ll come back in an hour and get you,” he insi
sted before adding, “I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to join you, but I’ll fucking make sure you’re here as often as you wanna be here. Even if I have to stand out here and wait.”

  I swallowed the hard lump in my throat, feeling like at any moment I was going to break down. “I love you.”

  He didn’t flinch at the words, even though it was the first time either of us had said them.

  He wasn’t surprised or shocked, and I knew why. Because we both already knew.

  It was something that didn’t need to be said, but now that it had been, it was that little bit more real.

  “I fucking love you, too,” he growled, dipping his head and pressing a soft kiss to my lips. “Now go before I actually do fucking catch on fire by standing too close to this place.”

  I grinned against his lips and nodded.

  “I’ll be here waiting. One hour,” he added as he stood back. “Don’t make me come in there, you hear me, pretty girl?”

  He was hard, sometimes demanding, and frustrating as hell at times too.

  But he was mine.

  And I was his.

  And I’d never been happier to say those words.

  “I hear you.”

  Check out these books by authors

  Addison Jane and KE Osborn

  Deceit (The Vindicated Series Book One)

  Addison Jane and KE Osborn

  Click here to purchase

  Covert, stealthy, cunning—I’m trained as a weapon. A lethal killer. I do what needs to be done in order to protect those who can’t protect themselves.

  I’m never the same person twice.

  It’s never been an issue.

  But I underestimated her.

  The beautiful woman next door. There’s something sexy about the way she watches me, eyes wide with an innocent curiosity. I find myself aching for her attention. I want her to look at me but not when I’m covered in the blood of the man I just killed.

  I live in the dark. She could be my light. I want her. And I know she feels it too.