Sexy Bastards Anthology: Bad Boy, Biker, Alpha, Motorcycle Club, Contemporary Romance Collection (19 page)

Chapter 18

Lucky

"What happened to you up there, boy?" Rusty patted me on the back and sat a beer down in front of me.

"Just froze I guess." I shrugged and took his offering, grateful that the testing period was over and I was officially a prospect.

"Well, you pulled yourself out of it, so that's all the fuck that matters. Right Stone Wolves?" Blade turned and lifted his beer in the air as warmth filled my chest. "To our newest prospect. We couldn't have chosen a better man to take this journey with us."

Man. He hadn't referred to me as anything but 'boy' my whole life. All of them had made sure to keep my age at the forefront of everything, but it seemed like things were changing.

They all grunted their congratulations and moved in to hit their glasses against Blade's. Beer sloshed all over me, but it was part of the tradition. I just sat quietly, drinking my beer and enjoying the attention.

The only thing missing was my baby doll. I'd have to take a picture of myself covered in beer and show her later that night. I needed her with me to celebrate. It wouldn't be a true accomplishment until I spanked her ass for switching out my notes and made love to her a few times.

"So this was the easy part, you know..." Animal threw in his two cents and I could tell by the look on his face that he was butt-hurt over not getting pulled up to being a prospect yet, but his time was coming.

"If it was easy, why ain't your ass celebrating it with me? You still got a ways to go, huh?" I smiled at him, trying to let him know that I was just pulling his chain.

"Fuck you, Luck." He winked and took a long drink of his beer. "Besides, I like to take my time, to work hard for the buildup. You like to jump in, squirt twice and get out."

I laughed and the other guys joined us. The bastard might be slow on getting his position in the club, but he was quick on his feet in his ability to come back with a witty response.

"What's the rest of the night looking like?" I asked, trying to figure out when I could get some time to myself to call Selene.

"This, actually." Knife lifted his glass as a waitress walked by. "More, baby. Keep 'em coming."

"I'd like you to keep
me
coming." She laughed as he swatted at her ass.

"Speaking off..." Blade turned his attention to me. "You need to enjoy yourself tonight. Most of the women in this bar would be happy to help a young buck like yourself celebrate in true Stone Wolf style."

"Yes. Now all we need is a sweet butt or two for our boy." Viper moved in and wrapped an arm around me. The thinnest member of the club reminded me of a snake, and as such his name was given.

"Naw... I'm good. I fucked a girl from town this afternoon." I took another swig of my beer and almost choked as the guys moved back and three beautiful women moved in to sit in my lap and on the table before me.

"Come on, guys, let's let our boy have some fun with the ladies." Blade ruffled my hair and left with the rest of the guys.

The girl in my lap turned and slid her hands over my neck, pulling me in toward her.

I jerked back and laughed. "Whoa, sweet thing. I'm good with my beer and some conversation. No need to get naked for me."

"But we wanna," the blond on the table in front of me purred. The girl was on her knees and her shirt was open at the top, showing me plenty of her creamy white breasts. Before finding out there was a chance with me and Lena, I'd have spent the night proving my manhood to all three of the girls, leaving each of them exhausted and singing my praises.

Not anymore.

The dark-haired one behind me tugged at my chin, forcing me to look up at her. She pressed her lips to mine before I could turn my face. Her tongue lapped at my mouth and I gently moved, picking up the girl in my lap and setting her down.

"I'd love to spend the night with you girls, but someone's stolen my heart. It's not  fair to her to do much more than wink at you and tell you that you're beautiful." I reached out and touched the blonde's chin. "Thanks for the congrats. I'm stoked."

"Awww... you sure, Lucky?" The brunette moved up beside me and slid her arms around my waist. "I love spending the night with you. You're so damn generous."

I laughed as heat brushed up my chest and coated my cheeks. "I'm sure, sweet girl. Maybe another time."

There would be no other time, but I couldn't tell the girls that. After letting them whine a minute more, I slipped off into my room and tugged off my boots.

"You wanna come here to me, baby, or me come to you?" I pulled out my phone to text Selene as I spoke to the emptiness around me. Her 9-1-1 text from three minutes before almost stopped my heart.

I jerked out of bed and called her number while I fumbled to get my shoes back on. "Pick up. Pick up."

The call went to voice mail and I screamed into the phone. "Pick up!"

I tried again while I finished getting my shit kickers tied up. I grabbed my keys, tucked my pistol in the back of my jeans and jogged out of the room, running down the hall and out into the warm summer night.

The guys were standing around a large bonfire and several of them called out to me, but I ignored them. The call went to voice-mail again and terror rose up from the pit of my stomach. If anything happened to my woman I was going to massacre the town.

I dialed the only number I knew to dial. Dane.

"Hey buddy, what…"

I cut him off. "It's Selene. She's in serious trouble and I can't find her. Locate her phone. Now." I was almost screaming in the phone as I took off in the direction of her dad's clubhouse.

"Fuck, Dude. You're scaring me." Dane's voice was muffled and I assumed he was moving to his computer.

"Join the party. I'm heading to the Black Hearts’ clubhouse. Find her, Dane. Text me." I dropped the call and tried her again as a red light forced me to stop in the center of town.

Voice mail.

"Dammit. Where the fuck are you, girl?" I pulled over to the side of the road and let out a shaky breath. If she was dicking with me, I would likely strangle her. What was the likelihood of her just messing with me? High.

Dane called back a moment later and gave me the address.

"Be careful, Lucky. That's the garage for the Jessup brothers. You know those guys are nothing but thugs." He let out a short sigh.

"Right. So what is Selene doing there?"

"No clue. Her father has a beef with those guys for sure, but it's not something she be getting involved in."

"What happened?" I slipped in my earbud, so I could hear better as I raced toward that side of town.

"Word on the street was that they were going to deal for him, but seems they like to get high more than they like to do business."

"Fuck. You serious? They smoked up Rafael's shit?"

"Yep. Almost all of it and in return, he shot the oldest brother and fucked up their baby sister really bad." The tone Dane used told me not to ask for details. I didn't want them anyway.

"Why the fuck would Lena be over there?" I asked the same question again. There was no reason for her to be in the middle of that shit. Unless...

"Who knows, bro. Want me to meet you over there?"

"No. I gotta go. I'll text you when I'm safe." I dropped the call and swallowed my need to scream. If her father had set her up to
test
her again, I was going to kill the motherfucker. Surely, she had someone with her over there. Surely.

I pressed the bike to go as fast as it could, the small town I loved so much whipping by me as nothing but blurry colors. It felt like forever. By the time I pulled up, a million things had blown through my mind, leaving me weak and scared as hell.

I parked next to Lena's bike, hating like a motherfucker that it was sitting alone next to a large tree on the property. Moving to the back, I tried to listen for voice over the incessant beating of my heart.

I didn't mind a good fight, and was more than willing to fuck anyone up, but if Lena was in danger, I wanted to tread lightly. After the story Dane shared with me, I knew her being there wasn't by accident, nor was it a good thing at all.

The wind picked up and caused the hair on the back of my neck to stand as I rounded the corner and crouched by the back door. I pulled my gun out after laying eyes on the two dead bodies on the floor.

A soft cry left me with no choice but to charge into the room, not giving a shit what happened. My girl was in trouble.

I jogged through the open garage and moved into the small office where she sat tied to a chair, crying. Her face was a bloody mess, and the bastard leaning over her was talking in a low, ominous voice.

"Fuck. Danny." A large bastard beside him looked up from Lena to me and moved toward me. He pointed his weapon directly at my head.

“Die!” he shouted.

Just as he went to squeeze the trigger on his gun, I put two bullets in his head. I'd never killed anyone before, but it wasn't time to start analyzing my race toward hell.

The other guy turned and lifted his gun, but not in time. I put a bullet in his head and hated like hell the scream that left my baby.

He dropped, and I moved in front of her, working to wipe the blood from her face.

"Ouch!" She screamed and jerked from me. "Get me undone! Let's get out of here!"

"What the fuck happened?" Shock held me tightly and I tried to get her bindings off, to no avail. "Let me find a knife, baby. Stay still, okay?"

"Just hurry." She sobbed a few times as she seemed to be waking up to the horror around her.

"I am. Everything is fine. I'm here now. Just..." I paused at the sound of a car pulling up. "Fuck..."

I grabbed a pair of scissors and sawed through the ropes at her back while squatting behind her.

She pulled free and walked to the door before stopping and turning to pin me with a frightened stare. "Get the fuck out of here!"

"Baby. No. Come here." I started to get up and she lodged a hubcap at me. "Get in the closet. It's my father. Now... Right fucking now!"

I ran to the closet and slipped into it, the office not big enough for me to make an escape past them.

"Butterfly?" The sound of his voice would leave me thinking he was worried. "Elec. Get her and let's get to the hospital. The others can clean this shit up."

I glanced out to see Selene in Elec's arms, her eyes closed as if she had blacked out. It was probably the safest thing for her to do.

I sunk down in the closet and pulled my knees up to my chest.

The devastation over what had happened moments ago was only muted by the fact that Lena was okay. She was alive and we would figure out the rest together. 

Chapter 19

Selena

If Lucky hadn't have arrived when he did, I'd have ended up with several fingers gone and a few other things that I couldn't bear to think about. The guy I thought was the leader of the family wasn't the oldest. The large muscular one that had grabbed me from behind before I passed out was.

Waking up to him in my face with a hunger in his gaze that left me terrified was more than I thought I might ever get past.

I snuggled up to my father in the backseat of the car and tried not to think about the fact that someone had sent me over there. I knew my father was a bastard, but there was no way he'd send me to my death. I was his only child.

He didn't expect you to die, but to kill.

"It's okay, butterfly. Daddy's here now." He kissed the top of my head and picked me up as we got to the hospital.

"I don't want to go here," I cried out as we moved into the ER.

"Hush, baby. We're going to have them patch up your face and let you rest while we make sure nothing happens to you." He glanced down at me.

"I'm fine. My face will..."

He cut me off, the look in his eyes telling me quickly that I needed to lock it up. Now. I did just that, thinking about Lucky instead of the hustle and bustle around me as my father handed me off to an ER nurse and left me with the hospital.

The drugs they gave me to settle my shaking put me to sleep, but not a deep one. I could hear them whispering things about my family and the shame that wearing my last name might bring. The fact that they figured I damn well deserved what happened to me that night was soul-shattering. Though I didn't want to care about their opinions, it still stung.

I wanted Lucky and needed my grandma. They were the only two people in the world who truly cared about me.

"We're going to move you to another bed now, okay, Selene?" A soft feminine voice whispered in my ear and I grunted my acceptance as if I had a choice.

They shifted me over and try as I might, I couldn't turn on my side and curl up. Tears burned my gaze, but I couldn't open my eyes to see who was around me and where I was at.

"Oh, dear. It's okay." The soft brush of fingers over my hair made me cry harder. I'd never known kindness from a mother, only my grandmother. My father kept her at an arm's distance because she
softened
me. "What can I get you, dear?"

"My grandma," I mumbled and choked on another sob as I forced my eyes open. Drowsiness rushed over me and I struggled to remain awake. "Please get my grandma."

"Of course. I'll find her and we'll get her here. Please, just rest, okay? You've been through a lot and your face needs to heal. Close your eyes for me. You're safe here. We're all here and your father has a guard posted outside of the room."

I let out another cry as anguish filled me. I didn't want a guard. How the hell would Lucky get to me if there was someone watching the door? My family knew who the Stone Wolves were--from the newbies to the ones who had been dead for years. He would never get in the door. I needed him, too.

"It's okay, sweetheart. Just rest." She brushed my hair a few more times and my eyes fluttered shut. It was too hard to stay cognizant and really, there was no reason to. The two people I loved were locked out of my life for the moment.

Please find a way in. Please.

***

I woke to my grandmother sitting beside me, her eyes filled with tears. She stood and let out a soft cry as I groaned and turned over in the bed.

"Oh
mija
." She hovered over the top of me, wrapping me in an odd hug.

"Hi, Grandma." I wrapped my arms around her and held on for a minute before letting my emotions go. Fear, loss and disgust flooded my system and I gave myself over to it, not sure if it would ever stop.

"It's okay, baby. Let it all out. I'm here now." She moved back and rubbed my hair as I lifted my hands to my face and flinched at the pain of touching myself. "No. Don't touch your face. It needs to heal."

"Is anything broken?" I realized that my speech was a little slurred.

"No, just really swollen." She glanced up. "Listen. Lucky is here and he's gotten his friend Dane to pull the guards for questioning. There is a cop outside your door, and he's going to let Lucas come in. Are you okay with that?"

"Yes." I almost came up out of the bed. "Yes. Please."

The smile on her face warmed me to the center of my soul. "Good. Lay back and I'll get him. No getting up. Okay?"

"Yes ma'am." I laid back and closed my eyes as tears continued to drip down my cheeks and dampen my neck and hair.

The door opened and closed twice and I couldn't wait any longer. I turned my face toward the door and opened my eyes to see him standing there.

"Luck?"

"Baby..." He took three steps and leaned over, wrapping his strong arms around me and burying his face against the side of my neck. "Fuck, I thought I was going to die if I didn't get to see you. You're okay, right? They didn't rape you, did they?"

He pulled back as tears filled his beautiful brown eyes. There was more warmth and love in them than I imagined ever deserving.

I shook my head as tears spilled onto my cheeks. I was an ugly crier to say the least, but the look in his eyes said he didn't care.

"You'll be out of here soon, okay, Lena?" He kissed several places on my face and stood, lifting his fingers to his eyes and wiping at the tears that littered his cheeks. "Fuck, you scared me to death."

"Me too," I whispered through the thickness in my throat. "How did you find me out there?"

"Dane traced your phone." He brushed his hand over the top of my head as he leaned back toward me.

"Get in." I moved over and let out a grunt.

"You sure?" He glanced back at the door, but seemed to resign himself to do whatever I wanted. He got in the bed and we repositioned ourselves so he could hold me. I snuggled against his chest and breathed in deeply as another round of tears came.

"I killed those two guys." I hiccupped and sobbed at the same time.

"In self-defense, Lena. Anyone would have killed to keep themselves alive. You did the right thing. No thinking about it right now."

I looked up at him as pain laced the center of me. "My father sent me out there. For another test."

Anger burned in his eyes and he bit his lip, closing his eyes for a moment and taking a shaky breath. "You're sure of that?"

"I'm pretty sure." I closed my eyes and snuggled in closer to him, not wanting to admit the truth at all, but having it beat into my skull left me with very little choice. "The text to get to that location came from him."

"Motherfucker. I'll kill him."

"No." I looked up and shook my head once before pain slammed into me. "I need to look into it fully to see what happened. I can't imagine him hurting me, Luck. I'm his only daughter. His only child."

He gave me a look and started to say something as the door opened behind him. We stiffened, but it was just Grandma.

"Time's up, you two." She let out a snort. "Give you five minutes with my grandbaby and you get her in bed with you. Scoundrel."

The teasing in her voice caused us to smile, easing the tension between us.

He leaned down and brushed his lips across my mouth as he locked his gaze onto mine. "I don't like it. If it turns out that your dad did this on purpose, I'll be taking you out of the situation... Then I'm killing him, Lena. No one should have to live under that kind of oppression. Especially not my woman."

I nodded, not willing to fight over it anymore. We would work through it, but my first stop wasn't Lucky. It was my father.

He kissed me once more and started to get up, but paused. "I love you."

I closed my eyes and let the truth roll over me. "I love you too."

The softness of his next kiss stole my heart for all time. I knew if he wanted to take me away, then I would most likely let him. No one but Grandma truly cared for me. Was it so important to defend the monster that raised me just because he raised me?

"I'll see you soon. Get well and get the fuck out of here. Text me." He kissed me again and got up, walking to the door and pausing to look back at me.

I couldn't help but feel beautiful as he studied me, though I knew nothing could be further from the truth.

"See you soon." He winked and walked out, leaving me alone with my thoughts.

Had he killed anyone before that night, or did we share the horrible experience of both having done if for the first time together? It would haunt me forever. I never wanted to be anything but good, strong... brave. Having to take someone's life, even in self-defense, left me wondering if I really knew myself at all.

My father would be proud, and the thought sickened me.

A soft knock resounded at the door before my grandma walked back in. "Lovely boy. I say we keep him."

"I killed two men tonight." I forced myself to sit up as Grandma walked back toward me.

"I'm sorry, baby. A person should never be put in a situation where they have to defend themselves by using a gun." She moved up beside me and pulled me into another warm hug, patting the side of my arm and kissing me. “You went from a young girl, naïve to the world around you, to being a slave to the devil. Let me help you get out.”

“I’m in too deep,” I whispered. “He’d kill you to prove a point.”

She let out a long sigh. “There’s always a way out.”

“You want to spend the rest of your natural life on the run from him?”

“You can’t go back for more!”

She hugged me again and I held on tight.

“Does your father hit you?” she asked softly.

A tear rolled down my cheek. “No.”

“So the violence isn’t physical. But it can take the form of verbal abuse, manipulation, or emotional abuse. Psychological violence leaves no scars and no physical evidence.”

I let out a tiny sob as she squeezed my hand.

“You can’t live like this, under the care of a psychopathic parent,” she said. “It’s not what your mother would’ve wanted. He’s conditioning his victims. He camouflages his real evil identity and bad intentions to appear normal. But he’s anything but. He’s an extreme narcissist who derives pleasure from the dominance and victimization of others.”

“He’s my father,” I said. “And I love him.”

“You have a shield up that absorbs most of the emotional impact he throws at you. It’s called denial. But wake up. Look at what he did to you.”

“It’s supposed to make me strong.”

“Your father is a convincing liar. He’s able to manipulate others' emotions and perceptions so he can get what he wants.”

“He’s not manipulating me, grandma.”

“He has a Jekyll and Hyde nature. Dr. Jekyll is "charming" and "charismatic"; "Hyde" is "evil.”

“Dr. Jekyll has entered the building,” my father said as he walked inside the room. “Yes, I’m in my charming and charismatic mood.”

“You’re despicable!” she roared.

He rolled his eyes. “One of your tests should be to see if Selene can keep her mouth shut when it comes to her grandmother.”

Grandma moved back, the look in her gaze telling him just how pissed she was by who he was now that my mother was gone.

“I’ll let it slide,” my dad said. “Because I’m in my Dr. Jekyll mood. If Mr. Hyde were out, she might’ve not fared so well.”

“I’m taking Selene to live with me,” my grandma snapped.

My dad’s lips pressed into grim lines. “Not happening!”

“But it’s her choice!”

He looked at me, his gaze intense. “Well, butterfly. Would you like to live with your grandma? After all,
it is your choice
.”

I gazed at him, then her. “No,” I softly said.

My dad smiled at my grandma. “Well then. You have your answer. This is a free world and she chooses me. So I don’t mind if she stays the night here and there, but her place of residence is with me.”

“You bullied her! I saw the look you gave her.”

He chuckled as she kissed me goodbye.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered.

“I know why you did it. So he won’t kill me.”

My father chuckled.

I swallowed hard. “I’ll call you tomorrow.”

She kissed me on the head. “Sleep tight.”

I watched her leave. 

My dad looked at one of his henchman. "I'm quite proud of her. Four men attack her and not a damn one of them is left standing." He moved up to the other side of the bed.

"Did you send me there to have me killed?" My voice broke slightly and my dad reached out and took my hand, squeezing softly as he sat down on the bed next to me.

"To die? Never. You're my own flesh and blood." He reached out and touched the side of my face. I wanted to jerk away from him, but I wasn't that stupid.

"Then what? Your tests are a little fucking much, don't you think?" I crossed my arms over my chest and tried hard to control my emotions. If I got to upset, I would start crying and there were no points to be won for anyone through tears. My father was a hard man who didn't seem to care much about anything anymore. Not even me, from what I was learning.