by Erin Trejo
“What the fuck was that?” Roman points toward the now empty hallway.
“Don’t even ask, brother. What’s up?”
Roman blows out a breath and shakes his head. “Beast called. Said he needs to crash here for a few days. I ran it by Stoney, and he was good with it. Told me to ask you.”
“He bringin’ guys?” Beast is a Nomad who typically stays with us when he’s in town, but he always comes with at least ten more guys. For Nomads they sure as hell travel in a pack.
“Yeah, the usuals.”
“Fine with me. We’ll have to find somewhere else for the girls to sleep while they’re here. I’m headin’ out to the warehouse to get shit ready for the next shipment. You good here?” Roman nods as I turn on my heel and head toward the door.
“Why do you get her hopes up?” Ariel’s voice rushes over me like a goddamn breeze. I close my eyes before turning to face her.
“What do you mean?”
“You told her you would help us find out if we were taken. How could you do that when you have nothing to go on?”
Running my hand through my hair, I shrug. “I don’t know. I can ask around, see if anyone knows of any missin’ kids years back.”
“See! You can’t get her hopes up like that, Quinn!”
I can see the tears in her eyes from across the room and it kills a part of me. “Come over here,” I tell her. Ariel tilts her head to the side and watches me. I just raise an eyebrow.
“What do you need me there for?” she asks almost sounding scared of me. That’s a low fucking blow considering I haven’t done anything to warrant that.
“I gotta go, Ariel. I don’t have time to play these kid games with you.” Turning on my heel, I pull the door open and walk out into the cool night air. I don’t make it all the way to my bike when she’s behind me.
“I’m here. Now tell me why you would do such a thing?”
I turn around slowly and look down at her. Her wide green eyes so full of fear. Is it me? Or from being outside in the open where she knows she shouldn’t be?
“Why are you shakin’?” I ask when I notice. Ariel wraps her arms around herself and ignores the question.
“What will you gain? You want to be rid of us?”
“That’s not fuckin’ fair, Ariel! I’ve let you stay here no fuckin’ strings attached. I made the guys leave you the fuck alone, and just because I was tryin’ to be nice for once, you think I want you gone?” The roar that rips out of me startles her. She jolts and takes back a step, but I’ve had enough of her games. I counter that step and move closer to her.
“Your sister asked for my help. I grew up not knowin’ who my family was. They didn’t want me. I was tossed from foster home to foster home until I ran away, so please fuckin’ forgive me if I wanted to help you out!” My voice thunders, rumbling through the still night.
I hadn’t realized just how far back I’d walked her, but now I have her pinned against the side of the clubhouse. Her hand comes up to my chest and I figure she’s going to push me away, but she doesn’t. Her tiny fingers wrap around my cut and jerk me closer. Her lips brush over mine and I’m too lost in the moment to give a shit. My hands cup her face, kissing her back until neither of us can breathe. It’s taking all that I have to keep my cock under control with this girl. I know it’s a bad idea to want her the way I do, but I can’t stop it. When her hand moves down my chest nearing my painfully hard cock, I shove away from her.
“You gotta stop doin’ that. Fuck!” Tugging at my hair, I turn to walk back to my bike once more.
“Take me with you,” she says from behind me.
I keep walking ignoring her all together. Grabbing my helmet, I slip it on before climbing on my bike.
“Quinn, take me with you.”
“You need to get back inside. Someone could see you out here,” I tell her, ignoring her pleas.
“Why can’t I come with you?”
Looking over at the tears that fall down her cheeks, I want to give her the goddamn world, but I can’t. “We’re not right for each other, Ariel. Do you know how badly I want to take you back inside and fuck you?”
“So, why don’t you?” she asks curiously.
She’s pushing my limits and I know who I am. I will snap at some point. I need to get her out of here before I do because all of that emotion is going to be directed at her. I take a deep breath and do the only thing I can do. I rev up my bike and haul ass out of here.
Chapter 10
Ariel
“He doesn’t like me, Chrissy. I tried to talk to him and he left,” I tell her as she plays with my hair. I’ve never felt that level of rejection in my life. It was a pain that ran deep and still lingers.
“He’s a man and has eyes, Ariel. He likes you; he’s just being a man.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means that he likes you but he’s afraid to hurt you. You’ve lived through a lot and he doesn’t want to make it worse,” she says fluffing my hair a little more as I sit on the toilet seat in her bathroom.
At first, I couldn’t believe that he did that; he left me standing there and I thought about leaving but where would I go? I have nothing and no one aside from Ava.
“I don’t believe he would hurt me,” I say softly, making Chrissy laugh although I don’t see what’s funny. I look up at her and she smiles.
“Maybe not on purpose, but he’s a man and all men have faults, Ariel.”
I let her words linger in my head as she applies makeup. This is only the second time that I’ve worn it, the first ending in my punishment. My nerves are a ball in my stomach although I know that Q won’t be upset that I’m wearing it or punish me for it.
“Stand up,” Chrissy says and I do. “Take that off. I’ll help you put this on.” My insides tremble, and as much as I want to look beautiful, I’m afraid. If I take off my clothes in front of her, then she will see just what they did to me. How they ruined my body and that scares me more than anything. Will she think badly of me?
“What’s wrong?”
“I have scars, Chrissy,” I say through a sob.
Chrissy shakes her head and grabs my shoulders. “Never be ashamed of what they did to you, Ariel. You’re better than that. And don’t cry! You will mess up your makeup.”
I find myself comfortable around Chrissy, she makes me smile and laugh even when I don’t want to. I take a deep breath and when Chrissy pulls away, I slowly pull the long-sleeved dress over my head and let it drop to the floor. Chrissy’s eyes move over my scarred body but she doesn’t comment on them. Instead, she grabs the dress she brought in here and helps me slide it over my head. After she finishes fussing over it, she takes a step back with a huge smile on her face.
“You look amazing!” she squeals. She turns me toward the full length mirror and I can barely recognize myself. My green eyes look extremely bright with the black that Chrissy has put around them. I blink my eyes and take myself in, but when I see the scars on my ankles and wrists, I cringe.
“I can’t wear this.”
“Yes, you can. Stop overthinking it, Ariel. You’re beautiful,” Chrissy tells me.
No one has called me beautiful before. Tears sting my eyes, but I remember what Chrissy said about ruining her makeup job, so I reign it in.
“Let’s go show Q what you’re working with. No way could he walk away from you looking like this.”
Her words spur me on but deep inside I’m trembling. What if he doesn’t look at me? What if he’s disgusted with what he sees? Setting aside of all my doubts for now, I take a deep breath and follow her out of the room. Ava has taken to one of the other girls, Sybil, here and she has already changed her clothing choices. I was afraid since I bear more scars than she does. Ava seemed happy in her new attire, so I suppose I can give it a try as well. My nerves are starting to get the best of me as I think about what I’m wearing and the idea of people seeing me. The music is loud as Chrissy and I walk into the main room. She stays close
to me mainly because I’m holding her arm in mine.
“There are so many people,” I tell her.
“A few Nomads are in town. They always have big parties when they’re here.”
I nod my head as she leads me through the room. Girls roam around half naked but the men seem to like it. Eyes turn to me and Chrissy. I can feel the heat of many stares as Chrissy drags me toward the bar. She orders some drinks and passes me one, but I’ve never had alcohol before – I’m not sure what to think. Taking the cup and bringing it to my lips, I take a small sip and cringe.
“You’ll get used to it,” Chrissy laughs at my reaction. I don’t know that I want to get used to it, it’s not very good.
“I’ll be back!” Chrissy cheerfully throws over her shoulder.
I watch as she walks away, dancing through the crowd. I want to follow her, but I’m sure she wants some space from me. I’ve been crowding her lately but I find that I like her company. She’s different than anyone on the compound, but she’s kind and she’s genuine.
Hands comes to rest on my hips and I smile thinking it’s Q, but when I spin around I find an unfamiliar face. My smile fades as I try to step back, but the man doesn’t let me.
“Please, let me go.”
The man grins but doesn’t make any move to walk away. “You walkin’ around here lookin’ good enough to eat. I think I’m hungry.”
Panic works its way through my body. My muscles tense as the memories assault me at the worst time.
Jimmy stands over me as I’m chained to the wall in the dungeon. His smile is so sinister.
“You never learn, girl. You will learn tonight.”
I tug at the binds that hold me in place but that does nothing but cause more blood to trickle down my arms. The pain is horrific but there is nothing I can do to stop him. He moves forward, unhooking my legs from the first set of binds only to hook them to another. My legs are spread wide and there is no way I can close them. Jimmy picks up the whip and runs it through his hands as he smirks down at me.
“Ariel!” Ava’s voice seems so distant yet so close at the same time. “Ariel!”
“Move! Ariel, baby? Look at me.” Who is talking to me? The voice fades in and out.
“Baby, it’s me. It’s Q. Look at me,” he pleads. I move my eyes until they slowly come into focus and I see him. He isn’t Jimmy. Jimmy isn’t here.
“Quinn?”
His lips slowly curl into a smile as he nods his head. “It’s me, Ariel. You’re okay.” His arms wrap around me and I’m lifted to my feet.
Embarrassment flushes my cheeks pink as I look around and see everyone looking at me. I want to shrink into myself, disappear. Warm hands hold my face forcing me to look at the one person that I find some kind of strange comfort in.
“What happened, Ariel?” Quinn asks me. I blink a few times and swallow hard watching the room slowly go back to the party.
“The man grabbed me, and I don’t know, Quinn. It was like a memory just took over. I got so lost in it. I’m so sorry. I ruined your party. Please forgive me.” I find myself sobbing, tears rolling down my cheeks. His thumbs move gently wiping them away.
“Don’t do that. You can’t control that. Who grabbed you?” I can sense the anger in him. I can feel it in his touch.
“That man,” I say nodding toward the guy. Quinn looks over and follows my gaze before looking back at me. His eyes are darker than ever and my insides quiver just from looking into them.
“Stoney! Hang onto her,” he roars, pushing me into Stoney’s arms. Quinn turns and moves quickly, grabbing the man by the throat. He screams so loudly that it pulls all the attention in the room.
“Oh shit. It’s about to get good,” Stoney chuckles next to me. His hands remain tight on my shoulders as I take in the scene in front of me. Quinn pulls his fist back slamming it into the guy’s face. Blood sprays from his nose before the guy fights back. The room explodes in noise and cheers.
Chapter 11
Q
The guys pulled me off that asshole before shit got too far. I made it clear that no one was supposed to touch those girls and that bastard did anyway. That was the most disrespect I was going to take for one fucking night. I move to the corner of the room where Chrissy hands me an ice pack for my eye. I nod at her and hold it there when Ariel slowly makes her way toward me. I should tell her to go, but I can’t find it in me. She’s grown on me and that’s never a good thing. The party has died down and most of them have gone outside.
“Why did you hit him?”
I look up at her with my good eye and chuckle.
“They were told to keep their fuckin’ hands off you. He didn’t listen.” Ariel moves closer sliding into the seat right next to me. It’s unnerving having her this close and not touching her, because fuck do I want to.
“Maybe I didn’t want them to keep their hands off me,” she says so softly I almost didn’t hear her.
“Excuse me? You want to be a club whore? Is that why you’re dressed like one?” I snap. Shoving out of my chair, I start toward the bar needing more than just a fucking beer right now.
“No! You don’t get to walk away this time, Quinn. You treat me like a little girl. You let me kiss you and then you run away. Is it because they ruined me? Are you embarrassed to be seen with me because of the scars?”
I can sense the tears in her voice, and it fucking kills me. I don’t want her crying because of me. I don’t turn to look at her but then her hands are on me. I lost my shirt after the fight and having her skin touching mine ignites more than a fire in me. It’s a fucking volcano that’s about to erupt. I spin to look at her and god why did I do that? Those piercing green eyes burn straight into my soul.
“Why would I be embarrassed of you, Ariel? Why? Have you looked in a mirror? You’re beautiful! You’re fuckin’ gorgeous! The scars? They made you who you are. They aren’t somethin’ to be embarrassed or ashamed of.” Grabbing her hand, I press it to my chest right over the scar that my tattoos now cover. Her eyes are wide as I move them from one scar to the next until we reach the one on my lower abs. She tilts her head to the side, looking over my body, and it sends chills through my body.
“What happened to you?” she asks softly, never moving her hand. I lower mine leaving hers on my stomach. I’m not sure why she doesn’t move but she doesn’t.
“Tradin’ stories now?” She looks up at me and I can see the hint of a smile in her eyes. “That one you like so much, I was stabbed when I was twelve.”
“You were so young.”
“So were you.” Fuck. What am I doing? What the hell am I thinking? I move my hands up, holding her face gently.
“This is such a bad fuckin’ idea, Ariel.”
“Is it?” she responds.
My lips brush over hers and heat spirals out of control through me. She opens her mouth, welcoming me in. My tongue sweeps over hers and groan into her mouth. Ariel’s hand moves over my stomach and up my chest, the other following. Tingles race over my skin as I walk her backward until her back hits the wall. I devour her mouth with mine, tasting her and never wanting to stop. I don’t know what the hell I’m doing. I said they could stay here, I said they would be safe here. Yet here I am taking advantage of that. I need to pull away, but I don’t know how much more strength I have left in me. My cock grows painfully hard as I grind against her. Ariel moans and I almost lose it. My hands slide down her neck and shoulders moving to her hips as I press into her. The more we kiss the hotter I become. My hands slide to the hem of her dress and slowly slip underneath. When I reach the one spot that’s been taunting me for weeks, I groan but Ariel goes stiff. My brain finally catches up with my actions and pull away from her. She’s panting and her eyes are wide, pink tinting her cheeks.
“Why did you stop?” she asks breathlessly. I shake my head, running my hand through my hair.
“This is wrong. I shouldn’t do this.”
“I want this, Quinn.”
“And later, wha
t? Do you think this will last forever, Ariel? I’m not good for you!”
“I’m tired of being told what’s good for me, Quinn. Why can’t I make my own decisions? I’m not on the compound anymore and I still can’t decide things for myself. I hate this!”
Ariel turns to run down the hallway and I snap. I lose it. I follow behind her, grabbing her around the waist. Lifting her in my arms easily, I stalk toward my room with her screaming at me. As soon as I step inside, I kick the door closed behind me and set her on her feet. She spins quickly, locking her gaze on me through her tears. I strip out of all my clothes and stand there with my arms out.
“This what you want? Or you want me to force you like they did? Huh? Make your fuckin’ decision, Ariel!”
Her eyes are wild as panic takes over. I’m fucked up for doing this, I know I am, but a man can only handle so much and Ariel pushes me to my fucking limits. She opens her mouth like she wants to speak but she doesn’t know what to say. Frankly, neither do I. I lower my hands to my side but stand here waiting on something that I’m not even sure of. This dance me and Ariel are doing is dangerous. She takes small steps toward me and my heart nearly bursts out of my chest.
“I’m scared, Quinn.”
“I know you are.”
“Will you hurt me?”
God, I want to say no. I want to tell her I won’t but I can’t. I know who I am and what I do. I know what’s expected of me.
“Yes.”
Her eyes sparkle with the tears that linger and my chest feels tighter than ever. “Why?”
“Because it’s who I am. You don’t know me, Ariel.” She takes the last step between us, my cock hard as fuck, pressing into her. I can see the fear in her eyes but I can also see the lust. I’m not the good guy here. I’m the bad guy, she just doesn’t see that in me yet. Her hands come to rest on my chest and I inhale deeply.