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Birds singin the trees on the roadside, the boughs just visible from the window of my room. I lie stiff on my back, blankets tucked beneath my arms while I stare at the sunshine creeping across the ceiling. Sleep was a fool's dream, errant and hard to come by. Memories of last night flicker through my mind, but they feel like a reflection on the surface of a lake: accurate, yet hard to touch. Hiding something dangerous below.
What have I agreed to? Am I so desperate to be wanted that I'd trip headfirst into another red-flag-lined relationship? Shit, can you call it a relationship in the singular when it's two men, or is it referred to in the plural even though it's all one and the same?Fuck. I'm over my head and drowning further by the minute.
Worst of all, I still have no idea how to broach the subject with Maddie. What the fuck do I say?“Hey, you know what? Your uncle gave me the best orgasm, and I’m pretty sure your dad could do it for me, too.”Yeah, sure. Like that would go down well.
"Come on, you stupid bitch." I toss the covers off and throw my arms down at my sides with a slap against the mattress.Wallowing in bed never did anyone any favors.Rip the Band-Aid off and be done with it.If she curses me out or pitches a fit, then I leave. Simple as that. I'm not here to ruin a family, although I feel I've done a bang-up job of trying to so far.
Although, I know I wouldn’t. If it came to it, I couldn’t walk away. Not without the kind of willpower I severely lack at present. I’m hooked on two men in the worst kind of way. Enough that I’d take whatever Maddie had to give me, deal with the pain, all for a chance at having a man—or two—who could love and cherish me in the way I’ve only dreamed of until now.
"Ughhh!" I roll to my side and tug the pillow over my head.
The birds pause their song, the deep rumble of an engine filling the void. Breath caught in my lungs, I emerge from my hideaway and slide off the bed to pad to the window.What the hell?I know the sound of that goddamn truck; it's been the calling card for my nightmares for months now. A police cruiser idles outside the compound gates, the tailgate of Connor’s truck in front the only part visible from where I stand.What the fuck are the cops doing here?Sure, it should come as no surprise when I’m currently holed up in an outlaw compound, but as far as I’m aware, the Reapers haven’t done a thing to warrant the attention of the police.
Not since the scene at the diner…
There’s only one reason why they’d be here, and that reason currently hollers for his brother downstairs, the deep timbre of his voice reverberating up the stairs and through the floorboards.
"God damnit." I need a frickin' bullet some days.
Voices rise from the heart of the building as I frantically tug on clean clothes, gaze hesitating when I land on the shit I wore last night, no doubt still tainted with the smell of sex and betrayal. How I managed to get away with a quick shower and sliding into bed without raising suspicion from Maddie, Idon't know. But then again, for all I know, I'm about to walk downstairs to find her giving me the silent treatment and my ex ready to stab a bitch.
Satisfied I don't look like a swamp monster fresh from the bushes, I tear out the door and down the stairs. Kane stands a few feet from the base of the staircase, head turning when he hears my thundering steps. He lifts a hand, gesturing for me to stay back as his father and uncle cross into the yard and out of sight. My heart hammers painfully in my chest, roaring in my ears so loud that I don't hear Maddie until she taps me on the shoulder and repeats her question.
"I said, what's going on, Rae?" She glances between me and her brother. "Why the fuck has Connor brought Barker here? Did you ask them to come?”
“Are you fucking serious?” My mouth hangs open in shock.
“Hey.” She raises both hands, eyes wide. “You were the one lamenting just the other night how you should turn yourself in and end this all.”
This revelation grabs Kane’s attention, shrewd gaze fixed on me as his lips split into a smug grin.
I resist the urge to wipe it clear off his pretty face and fix on Maddie instead. “If I was going to do that, why the fuck would I askthatpsycho to come with them?” I hit the ground floor and duck under Kane's arm, much to his frustration, to head outdoors.
"Guess we're all about to find out why heishere, then.” The dark fucker shadows my moves, his sister hot on his trail.
I bite back the response on the tip of my tongue and cut through the doors, Kane shouldering his way to get in front of me as soon as our feet hit the concrete. I get the impression he wants to appear in control—whether that's for his own ego or my safety, I don't know. Tyke stands at the gate; one hand braced on the bars above his head as he leans in and listens towhatever Deputy Barker bitches about. Digger stands at his side, arms folded over his chest and discord painted across his pretty features while he does the same.
My steps falter, and the realization that I hadboththese men inside me last night hits like a bucket of cold water to the senses. My gaze falls on Maddie’s arm as she slips it through mine, focus dragging up her connection to the side of her face. Would she offer me the same comfort if she knew?
"Relax, babe." She tugs at my rock-solid arm. "They've got this under control."
More than she'd know.Shit.
I close my eyes briefly, pressing them tight and willing my brain to focus on what matters: what Barker has to say and why the fuck Connor led them here. I note Kane's furrowed brow when I refocus, shivers wracking my spine at the implications. "I want to know what they're talking about." I make a move to step forward, yet Maddie stalls me in my tracks.
"Let them come to us," she murmurs. "It undermines their dominance if you show that they can't even keep you in line."
I stare at her incredulously. "Um, excuse me. But they're talking aboutme. I think I'm entitled to know what they're saying."
She presses her lips tight. "Um, no. They're talking about club business. Whether or not it currently involves you, we don’t know for sure.”
"The way your brother just glared at me, I’m pretty sure it does."
"He'd stare at you like that anyway," she offers. "We shouldn't even be out here. Not until we know for sure there’s no threat to our safety.”
“Mads,” I say drily. “It’s the cops.”
She levels me with a hard stare. “Exactly.”
