Page 5 of Hidden

Before

11 years old

“Why on earth would I want to go and hang around at a park, Natalie?”

“Because it’sfun,” she snapped back at me, grabbing hold of my wrist and pulling me towards the front door. “Come on… Harley has only given you a few hours. Don’t you want to be normal for once, Gabby?”

Sighing heavily, I allowed her to drag me into the hallway, accepting the coat she angrily shoved in my direction.

I could see her point. As the princess of the Rough Riders, it wasn’t often that my dad allowed me outside the house. Especially without an escort. But Natalie was right. Harley—my dad and the president—seemingly had a personality transplant overnight—or at the very least a stroke—because not only had he given me permission to leave the house, I was also able to do so without my guards.

How pathetic was my life, though, that the only place I was planning on going to was the local park?

“The boys of the Devils sometimes hang around there, you know?” Natalie said to me as she pulled her own coat on, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.

“All the more reason for me to not want to go, if I’m being honest.”

“Oh, please!” she scoffed. “You relish the thought of pissing off yourlovedones, never mind the rival gang you can’t stand. Now, get!” she snapped, pushing me out of the door. “We’re going and that’s final.”

Luke

“If you fall, I’m not catching you,” Macbeth hissed, throwing a stick at me.

“Dante will catch me, won’t you, pal?” I called over, holding my arms out straight as I walked across the top of the monkey bars, rather than climbing them from below.

“No,” Dante replied from his spot on the grass, his hand wrapped around Laura’s knee whilst she sat cross-legged making a daisy chain. If she were planning on giving that to Dante, she was going to be sorely disappointed when he refused to wear it.

“I knew you would. Come on—if you’re lost, you can look, and you will find me… sing it to me, Dante.” Reaching the end of the line, I turned around, wobbling slightly as I returned to the starting point.

“Absolutely fucking not.”

“We make an amazing team.If you fall, I will catch you… I will be waiting,” I bellowed out, my voice turning slightly operatic towards the end. I was half tempted to balance on one foot and hop along these bars, but even I knew that was tempting gravity in the worst way.

“Luke… Are you sure you’re okay up there?” Laura asked, a frown on her face and her teeth biting her bottom lip.

“I am king of the fucking world, Laura-Lou. I can handle some sodding monkey bars—oh, shit!” I squeaked, losing my balance towards the middle and falling over the side, landing in the pile of bark beneath the frame.

“I’m not sure about king of the world, but you certainly take the prize for king of the fucking morons!” a soft, angelic voice called out.

“Dante…” I breathed, flipping over onto my back and lying on the floor like a starfish. “I don’t know who that was, but I have severed my spine with my fall. Please yell back that they are a prick. Thank you in advance.”

“He said you’re a prick,” Dante called, not even bothering to look up to see who he was yelling at.

“Thanks, buddy. You’re a real one,” I panted. And then, flipping over onto my knees, I pushed myself to my feet and grinned at my best mate. “Was it at least an epic fall?”

Dante shook his head at me, but I saw the beginnings of a smile on his lips and felt my own grin grow wider.

I never really understood the need to make everyone laugh. Crash said I was a natural comedian. Warrior said I was a fucking clown.Potato, po-tah-to, as far as I’m concerned. I just wanted something light. Something free.

I loved the Devil’s Disciples, and I loved being part of the Descendants. The club was all I had ever known, and I wanted to be liked.

And I also knew that the minute I went home, the dark clouds would come rolling in again.

I lived on the compound with my mother, but I spent most of my time in the clubhouse with Dante, his brother Macbeth, and their parents.

My mum was a club bunny—or at least she had been until I was born. Now she was just the club’s burden.

I knew what people thought of me. I saw the pitiful glances when they thought I wasn’t looking. If I wanted to be respected in this club and to become a full-time member alongside Dante when the time was right, then I had to do something to be noticed.